Cross
by mochaaa
Summary: Sohma Kyo is an obnoxious, coldhearted exgang member who has lost all faith in life. Honda Tohru is the the reverend's granddaughter who fits the description of the pure, innocent, church girl. Can one girl restore his hope? KxT AUversion
1. Building A Mystery

**SUMMARY - **Sohma Kyo, a callous, coldhearted ex-gang member who has lost all faith in life. Honda Tohru, the reverend's granddaughter who fits the description of the "pure, innocent, church girl." When the two meet...what will happen? AU VERSION. KxT

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter O N E **

_**Building A Mystery**_

_Dear God,_

_I can't believe in  
I don't believe in  
I won't believe in heaven and hell  
no saints no sinners no devil as well  
no pearly gate no thorny crown  
you're always letting us humans down_..._  
If there's one thing I don't believe in..._

_It's you, dear God._

The color of the air was turning from pale to dark, and the moon was beginning to wrestle soundlessly with the sun for its position in the upper skies as the clocks around the world hit seven o' clock.

Out in the darkening night, stood a boy, with a plain black shirt and charcoal pants that fit loosely around his legs. The only bright part that was left on him was his burning hair; it was an outrageous orange color that people only saw in those wacky cartoons on TV, or in those comic books with those unrealistic superheroes.

The orange haired boy stood outside, standing resolutely while staring up at a medium sized building that was covered in smooth beige brick with a pointy rooftop; right in the center of the building was a huge shining silver cross, showcasing the church's main symbol. His weight shifted from one leg to the other as he thought to himself,

_Should I just go in?_

His crimson eyes were clouded with uncertainty as he reached out a doubtful hand, pushing the wooden doors open very gradually so that it creaked noisily as it opened. He looked around inside and one look at the stainglass windows, paintings of Holy figures, and a man in the front uplifting the spirits of others, shook his frayed nerves. He quickly let go of the door, slamming it shut and whipped around promptly, crashing right into a solid body behind him.

A yelp and a loud crack were heard as the boy bounced backwards, still not registering what exactly had just happened. He shook his head from side to side, and when his mind was focused, his eyes traveled downward to see a girl with long chestnut hair and huge brown eyes lying flat on the ground with broken glass and fresh yellow flowers scattered nearby. He winced slightly and crossed over to her, holding out his hand to her. She put her hand into his and he pulled her up from the hard ground so that she standing up. Once she was up, his hand didn't linger in hers, instead he snatched his hand away and placed it inside his pockets, muttering out with sort of an embarrassed stare,

"Didn't see you there..."

The girl shook her head with an apologetic smile and brushed off her jacket, along with the hem of her skirt, replying back jovially,

"It's okay! I wasn't watching where I was going..."

The wince came back to his face as he glanced down at the scatter of glass pieces on the ground and the bright yellow flowers laying still on the dirty cement. He pointed out with a low voice,

"I think... your flowers might be ruined. Sorry about that."

She shook her head with the same smile never fading from her lips as she waved her hand in the air to dismiss the accident,

"It's okay. I can always get more later, I just wanted to replace the dead ones inside, seems like it's been years since I changed the flowers!"

He paused uneasily and finally asked,

"You work here or something?"

She smoothed down the back of her hair and answered back timidly,

"Well... I sort of live here actually."

"You live... in a church?"

She nodded at his dubious question and explained,

"Well my grandfather owns the church, so we live on another floor of the church. It's really a great place...hey! Um... were you just about to go inside?"

His face flushed, but it couldn't be seen in the dark night,

"No... I was just..."

Unable to brew up a good excuse, he let his frustration get the best of him, causing him to blow up at her,

"Forget it!"

She cringed backwards for a second, but let his anger slide off her like water as she then bowed her head down, offering with a diffident tone,

"You should come listen to my grandfather's sermon tomorrow. He's a wonderful speaker."

The surly boy kept a blank expression on his face, replying tersely,

"No thanks."

She nodded again and then added happily,

"Oh, okay, but if you ever change you mind, then you're welcome here anytime."

The strange girl lifted her hand into a wave and called out,

"Sorry about bumping into you before."

She touched the knob of the door but turned back around to face the boy again,

"Oh! I've been so rude... my name is Honda Tohru. What's yours?"

His eyes averted from hers, not really wanting to tell her, but he decided to just spit it out. After all, it wasn't like she was going to do anything with this little piece of information anyway. He shrugged and answered with a mutter,

"It's Kyo."

Tohru nodded and flashed another grin,

"It was nice meeeting you Kyo-kun!"

She waved promptly in his direction, and then disappeared into the double doors, closing the door shut softly. Kyo heaved a long, audible sigh as he stuffed his hands into his deep pockets, casting one more look at the church before walking away.

* * *

Sunday morning strolled along, and standing way in the back of the church, hiding behind a mass of other people, was none other than Kyo.

Tohru was standing at the front where her grandfather was yelling out a powerful speech, searching the crowd with scanning eyes, and finally spotting his fire colored hair. Just as her grandfather launched into a sermon about sins and guilt, she saw Kyo slip out from the bench, pushing through the doors in a hurry and something fall out from his pockets. She rushed down the aisle and over to that spot, picking up the wallet that had carelessly dropped from his loose pockets.

He was just about to cross a street when he heard footsteps racing up behind him, and a female voice calling out,

"Wait! Kyo!"

Kyo turned around to see Tohru run up behind him with a leather black wallet in her hands, holding it out to him, trying to catch her breath. Kyo raised an eyebrow, asking rudely,

"What do you want?"

Tohru finally caught her breath and pointed at the wallet, informing him,

"You... dropped your wallet."

Kyo stared down atthe ratty wallet sitting inside her small palm, and lifted it out of her hands gingerly between his thumb and index finger. He then looked at her with an intense gaze and she blushed unconsciously as he finally croaked out very quietly and sincerely for the first time that she met him,

"Thanks..."

He was just about to turn his back to her again, but she interrupted him by asking,

"Um... so I saw you standing in the back, how did you like the sermon?"

Kyo gripped the wallet in his hands tightly and shrugged, replying back,

"It was alright."

She fidgeted with her hands for a moment and then inquired further,

"Would you like to stay a little while more? I'm sure my grandfather would love to see a new face in the crowd."

All her questions... and the answers that he didn't want to answer set him off as he yelled out a bit too loudly,

"Can't you just mind your own business! I have more important things to do."

A look of hurt flashed through her eyes, but she quickly recovered as she nodded and gave him aweak smile,

"I'm sorry.. um...I guess... I'll see you around. Sorry again."

She gave him a little bow, and then walked back to the church, the bounce from her step erased. He watched Tohru's retreating figure go back inside the church, and felt like he just had the wind socked out of him. He leaned back against a metal streetlight and opened up his wallet to see the familiar picture of a young girl at the age of six or seven with pink overalls and hazel colored hair pulled into small pigtails. She had a huge smile with her two front teeth missing, and the picture caused Kyo's eyes to fill with pain as he shut it quickly, tucking it safely into his front pocket.

**PHEWW... first chapter of a brand new story is DONEE! WHOOT! Hope you guys enjoyed it... I know it's kind of going slow right now, but most stories do in the beginning, eh? Well, anyways, please stick around for the coming chapters... because we're just gettin' started baby! And guys, don't forget to...**

**REVIEW PLEASE :D :D :D :D THANKS, ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE.**


	2. Fear

**Hey all you cool people. Wanna give a super duper pooper thanks to everyone that reviewed... it really makes me happy to see reviews :) THANKS SO MUCH! L FOR LOVE :D :D**

The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope...

****

C R O S S

Chapter T W O

Fear

"Hey, cutie, you think I can get your number?"

Kyo looked up from the counter of the mini bar where he worked and couldn't help but let the look of disgust wash over his face as he answered back rudely,

"No."

The girl's mouth dropped open in shock, not used to the cold rejection, after all, she had the natural good looks; a naturally thin figure, a big bust, short skirts that nearly showed her rear end, and shiny, lustrous brown hair that reached to the middle of her back. Her make-up covered face reddened with humiliation as she spat out vehemently,

"Fine. Whatever, I don't need you anyway. I can get _any_ other guy I want to."

Kyo rolled his eyes and replied back with a bored expression,

"Do I look like I care?"

She clenched her teeth and then pursed her crimson lips together, stalking away from him with a 'Hmph,' and a toss of her hair as she clicked away with her expensive high heel shoes, never giving him another look. Kyo snorted with amusement as he continued to wipe a clear shot glass with a worn out rag, placing it back onto the shelf after he was done, and then tossing the rag over his shoulder. His co-worker, Shigure, who was at least in his late twenties, was organizing a drink for a customer, looking over his shoulder at Kyo and commenting,

"Why'd you just blow off that girl? She was quite the looker..."

"She was empty headed. Only perverts like you would go girls like that."

Shigure scoffed and protested in a whiny tone,

"Pervert! I'm not a pervert! All because I enjoy looking at the ladies, doesn't mean anything."

Kyo smirked and leaned back against the counter, retorting back with a snarl,

"I stand corrected."

Shigure watched the crowd diminishing as the night got older, and he finally asked with a slow smile,

"You know... how come you never go out with any of these girls anyway? I mean you get at least a dozen of girl's asking you out every night."

His hand flew to his mouth, and he let out a huge gasp, dramatically uttering out,

"Wait! Don't tell me... you like boys!"

Shigure burst out into muffled laughter while Kyo's face turned beet red, chucking his damp rag square into Shigure's face, yelling out furiously,

"You idiot! All because I don't leer at girls doesn't mean anything! You moron!"

Shigure held up his hands in defense, his laughter dying down as he said defensively,

"Jeez...you don't have to get all angry! I was only kidding..."

Shigure sighed deeply and held his hands over his heart, his eyes twinkling as he said with an overexaggerated voice,

"I just want to see you in love!"

He broke into another fit of laughter while Kyo scowled at his demented co-worker. After the laughter ceased, Shigure surveyed the now empty bar, stretching his arms out to his side, announcing loudly,

"Well, I'll see you later Kyo,"

Kyo glared at Shigure while he shrugged on his jacket, and barked out,

"Why do _I_ have to close up? It's your turn, you pervert."

"Hey, hey, I promise to do it next time, and the time after that. It's just that I really have to go right now, because my.. leg is hurting!"

Shigure laughed loudly at his feeble lie, and then rushed out of the door without another word, leaving Kyo fuming as he yelled out,

"FAKER!"

He grumbled under his breath a few curse words as he scrubbed at the little round tables, shut all the dim lights, and locked the door shut securely. Kyo took a deep breath of brisk air, and then slowly slunk all the way back to his crummy old apartment down the street nearby the bar. He slipped into his small ratty apartment and flopped down onto his creaky bed, exhausted from working all day. He looked over at the clock in front of him, and it read 12:40 am. Kyo placed his hands over his face and then closed his eyes, knowing that it wasn't that late, but once his eyes closed, he fell asleep in a snap.

A little girl with pigtails, and around the age of six, was jumping up and down, tugging on the edge of Kyo's sleeve, shouting out to him,

"Kyo! Gues what? I just saw a shooting star!"

Kyo turned his head to his side, and then bent down to his knees so that their faces were on the same level, reaching his hand out to ruffle the top of her hazel colored hair,

"Good for you Yumi-chan."

She stared at him with excitement brewing in her round eyes, asking with a big grin on her little face,

"You wanna know what I wished for?"

"You're not supposed to sa..."

"I wished that you'd be my big brother!"

She planted a big smile on her lips triumphantly, showing off her missing front two teeth as her grin grew wider. Kyo let out a sigh, shaking his head while rolling his eyes at her oblivious behavior, pinching her chubby cheeks lightly and scolding her with a teasing tone,

"You're not supposed to tell me what you wished for! Now your wishwill never come true!"

She squeaked out fearfully,

"Oh no! Now you won't be my big brother...?"

"Idiot. Of course I'm still your big brother. Don't be stupid."

The light reappeared in her dancing eyes as she cheered out loud, throwing her hands in the air, ready to give him a huge hug, but he flew backwards, and held her tiny arms away from him, looking the child straight in the eyes, admonishing her candidly,

"Now let's not get carried away. You know big brother doesn't like hugs right?"

Yumi nodded with sudden realization and lowered her arms as she answered back with an apologetic sing-a-song voice,

"I forgot! Sorry!"

Kyo smiled down at his "little sister," and stood up, feeling shameful for not being able to tell her the real truth about why he couldn't let her hug him... but it was a secret that could never be told.

Not yet.

He chuckled and felt his worries slide away bit by bit when he saw her gleaming smile again, it was so open, so welcome... and it didn't shed any negative feelings. Her voice piped up in a loud voice,

"Did you know that I think that you are the bestest big brother ever?"

"And I think that you're the most annoying," Kyo added with a smirk.

She pouted at him and gave him a scathing look, while he broke into a huge laugh, patting her on the head, reassuring her with a grin,

"Just kidding. You know that I think you're the bestest little sister."

"Ever," he quickly put in at the end.

She smiled again and giggled...

It was the sweetest sound.

Her face was so full of joy... but the joy was quickly stolen away in a second when her face became as pale as a sheet of paper. Kyo's crimson eyes widened with fear as he shouted out her name in a shudder of panic,

"Y-Yumi!"

Her body fell, and he caught her small, fragile body before it fell to the hard ground. Kyo shook her small, limp body, and felt a hot liquid spreading onto his hands, and he held his breath, shakily lifting one hand to his view, seeing that it was smothered in fresh blood that stung his nostrils. It was her blood... and now there was a growing puddle that was leaking out from the side of her body. Kyo could feel the tears piercing the back of his eyelids when he saw her weakly try to open her eyes to look up at Kyo with her innocent eyes; but it was too late. Her heart stopped beating, and her eyes fell closed. Death had stolen away her smile. Her joy.

"Yumi...? ...no... this is a sick dream. A sick, sick, sick dream! YUMI! WAKE UP!"

Sweat dripped down his cold face as Kyo snapped up from his bed. His bangs were stuck to his forehead as he wiped the sweat off from the top of his overheated forehead.

Another nightmare...

Kyo sat still, quivering in his bed, and decided that the only way to make his problems disappear, was one thing. He threw off his blanket, letting it flutter to the floor, and shuffled straight into the cubicle kitchen where he pried open his browning refridgerator, pulling out a six pack of cold beer. He slammed the fridge door shut, and snapped open one can, guzzling it down to forget the pain.

To forget her.

He finished drinking it within three minutes max, and tossed it savagely onto the floor, his red eyes catching onto his ratty old wallet that was lying half open next to his shoes... reminding him of his "little sister" again.

Shit... I have to get the hell out of here...

Kyo grabbed his jacket off from a rickety little stool, and slammed his crusty apartment door shut, holding one beer can in both hands.

He had already finished the first one, but he still didn't feel the buzz yet. He could still think, and he didn't want to think. He opened up another can and chugged it down while swaying down the empty streets, feeling the burning sensation travel down his throat as he leaned up against a streetlight, taking another bitter swig, forgetting all his worries. He lifted up his heavy head and tilted it to the side when he saw that he was in front of the Church...

Church... what a load of crap. What has God done for me? Nothing. He has taken everything good from me. EVERYTHING. What does **he **know!

He screamed in anguish as he threw the second empty can against the church wall, letting it teeter down to the ground while his breath grew heavy, and tainted with the beer smell as he looked down at the next can that was gripped tightly in his right hand. He raised it up, and opened it without another thought, walking dizzily away from the church, gulping down his third can, feeling weak in the knees. His eyes felt like they had weights on them as he dropped his last can, that was almost drained, spilling the last few contents onto the sidewalk. He was so drunk out of his mind now as he laughed maniacally to himself while leaning up against a random building, sliding downwards and passing out immediately.

* * *

"Good night!" 

"Good night Tohru-san! You did a great job today!"

Tohru flashed a smile at her other co-workers that were standing behind her, and she waved at them, replying modestly,

"No, no, it was you guys that worked ten times harder than I did!"

They laughed and waved back at the humble girl, wondering how any girl could be as kind as she was. Tohru smiled to herself and buttoned up her jacket as she hummed a little tune under her breath while walking back home; but her smile soon faded from her lips when she saw a certain someone lying on the ground while the wind lifted the empty beer can away from his limp hand.

She rushed over to Kyo's unconscious body and squatted down next to him, shaking him urgently with both her hands, whispering out in alarm,

"Kyo! Kyo-kun! Are you okay!"

No answer.

Oh no! He's passed out! What do I do now?

She looked around frantically to see if anyone else was around to help, but there was nobody there. She held in a huge breath, and then bit her teeth down, a look of sudden determination crossing her face as she looked down at Kyo. She gripped his left arm by the wrist, and grunted while hoisting him up, struggling greatly as she flung his arm over her shoulder, limping down the road with his body dragging slowly behind her.

I'll bring you to safety Kyo-kun! Even if my last ounce of strength runs out...!

REVIEWS PLEASE! THANKS :D :D :D and remember kids, STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER


	3. Out of the Shadows

**MANY MANY MANY THANKS TO ALL THE WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC REVIEWERS:D :D :D :D :D :D YAYY! Please enjoy this next chapter :P**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter T H R E E**

_**Out of the Shadows**_

Sunlight poured irridescently through the stainglass windows of the dimmed church, making the diamond chandeliers twinkle quietly on the ceilings. The deep tranquility of the air was suddenly interrupted by a deep, calming voice that filled the empty church hall,

"Are you alright, son?"

The voice penetrated Kyo's mind as he squinted open his eyes slowly at first while sitting up on the thin brown bench of the church, rubbing at his head in slow circles, groaning out,

"My head is killing me..."

As if on key, the reverend held out a small plastic bowl of water, kindly offering with the same soothing voice,

"Here, have some water. It will help you."

Kyo grunted his thanks and quickly drained the bowl of water, wiping his mouth roughly with the back of his hand after he was finished. The reverend took the bowl back, asking with concern,

"Would you like to tell me what happened back there?"

Kyo shrugged, muttering out in a tired voice,

"I'd like to know too. Last thing I remember is being at a bar."

"I see..."

said the frail old man thoughtfully. Kyo stared ahead at the blank wall, asking absent-mindedly,

"How'd I... end up here?"

"My granddaughter bought you here. She found you passed out on the curb somewhere. I think she may be coming back from school right now if you want to catch her."

Kyo glanced warily at the old man's face for a moment, and then repeated very quietly under his breath,

"Your granddaughter..."

A sudden flashback of Tohru's words then hit him in the head,

_"Well my grandfather owns the church, so we live on another floor of the church. It's really a great place..."_

"Do you know her?"

Kyo looked up with a flushed face, answering back immediately,

"No. Not really."

He scrambled off the bench, running a hand through his disheveled hair as he backed up towards the door,

"I'm uh... I gotta go now."

The reverend rose slowly up from his seat as well, folding his hands together as he called out with his signature gentle voice,

"...Is there anything that you would like to share at all?"

_Share...? What the hell is this guy talking about? No way am I going to share my feelings with some strange priest I've known for two minutes. No. Way. _

Kyo restrained himself from rolling his eyes, as he cracked a small smile, pointing with his thumb at the doors and awkwardly replying back,

"No. No thanks. I...um... I really have to get back home. See ya."

Kyo could hear the old man's voice echoing behind him as he pushed open the huge wooden doors,

"Good bye. I hope to see you around."

Once he was outside Kyo took a deep shaky breath as he leaned up against the cool brick building, his head still pounding as the wind cooled his heated face down.

_I don't even remember... passing out. What happened last night?_

His thoughts were intercepted by an orange tubby cat that came walking over to his leg, nudging its soft head against his shoe. Kyo tried to kick it away, but suddenly three or four more cats came waddling along, meowing and putting their paws on his shoes.

Kyo groaned in frustration and desperately tried to shoo them away, but they refused to leave him alone.

_Damn cats!_

"You seem to really love cats!"

Kyo's head snapped up when he saw Tohru walking up the stone path to the church, bending down to pet the orange tubby cat that was purring softly while she scratched the back of its ears.

"No way! They're annoying!"

To show his annoyance, he tried to pry them off again, but no avail. She giggled and picked up the orange cat, petting it lightly against its fire colored fur, looking down at the cat that closed its eyes with content while Tohru said softly,

"I love cats. Every now and then these stray cats come over, it's so adorable."

Kyo looked at her sparkling eyes and asked with a hint of curiosity,

"What's so great... about cats?"

She smiled up at him and replied,

"I always loved the cat ever since my mother told me the story about the cat from the zodiac and how the rat tricked him. I always thought that was just so sad... and from that day on I decided I wanted to be the cat from the zodiac!"

Kyo looked down at the ground, his face flaring up as he grumbled out,

"You really... love the cat, don't you...?"

"Yup!"

Kyo felt moved in a way, but concealed the emotion well. After a bit of strugge, Kyo finally escaped from the crowd of stray cats, knowing somwhere in the back of his brain that he had to thank the girl somehow for picking him off from the streets.

But how?

He had never been good with those kind of things before, the words always got stuck in his throat, and he would always just end up choking on them. Kyo snatched a glance at Tohru and saw her looking over at him with those bright brown eyes that were filled with genuine concern as she asked,

"So are you feeling better?"

He looked to the side, and admitted,

"My head is hurting a little, but other then that I'm fine."

She let out a little gasp and stepped closer to him with a horrified expression on her face as she cried out,

"Your head! Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

HIs eyebrows drew together and he looked down at her face, seeing that she actually looked really worried, so he repeated quickly,

"I'm fine!"

Kyo cleared his throat, scratching the back of his orange hair, not making eye contact with her as he stuttered out,

"Hey... uhh... about last night...um.."

She tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows raising as she waited for the rest of his sentence to complete, but he could feel the words sticking to his throat again. He blew out a long breath and then willed himself to say it as he gulped and paused for moment before finishing in a very low voice,

"Thanks...you know... for bringing me here."

Her laugh sounded through the air as she placed the orange cat back down to the ground, shaking her head with a big smile, as she told him breezily,

"You don't have to thank me for that! Anyone would have done the same."

He shook his head doubtfully and said morosely,

"No...most people would have just left me."

Her eyes grew wide as she stepped closer to him, replying back with strength,

"I would never! And I don't think anyone would ever just leave you. Sometimes... we have to believe in people."

_She's so damn naive... but..._

_I still find her words refreshing..._

Her voice cut into his thoughts again as she asked cheerfully,

"Kyo-kun? Do you go to school?"

He grunted in disgust and replied with detest,

"No way. I don't see the point at all."

Tohru looked at him with clear surprise, asking,

"Really? ...Haven't you ever wanted to experience it though? I know it may seem boring at times... but you really meet a lot of wonderful people there!"

"I rather not go to a place infested with..."

_Girls.  
_

"Um... annoying people."

Tohru's eyes lowered a little bit, and then she looked back up, inquiring further,

"But what about education?"

"Screw education! I don't need that. I have street smarts, and that's all I need."

He crossed his arms over his chest, watching as she unexpectedly began to bite her lower lip, a nervous look entering her features, as she timidly said,

"Um... there's this school festival that we're preparing at my high school...and I was wondering if you'd want to come. It's really coming along well... and it'd be great if you came!"

Kyo frowned deeply and almost laughed out loud at the whole idea, responding with a snort,

"There's no way that I'm going to go to one of those cornball festivals!"

A disappointed look rushed across her face as she tried her best to convince him,

"There'll be um... free food! Lots of it! I made some myself."

Kyo shook his head, lifting his chin up, replying with confidence,

"No tempting me with free food because it's not gonna work."

"But there will be lots of good things like, onigiri, sashimi... and um...takoyaki!"

The idea of free food did tempt a small portion of him, but he wasn't about to give in completely.

"I don't have to get dressed up or any of that crap, right?"

"Not at all!"

"Good, because I hate dressing up," Kyo added with disdain.

A hopeful look lit up her eyes as she asked brightly,

"So does that mean that you're coming?"

"I didn't say that."

One look at her crestfallen face and he swore that his stomach churned a little bit. Feeling a morsel of guilt, he finally asked with an audible sigh,

"So... what time is this thing?"

A smile slipped back onto her face as she answered happily,

"Six o' clock tonight at Kaibara High."

"You're walking there by yourself?"

"Yes."

His head lowered while he stuffed his clammy hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, trying his best to regain his composure, as he muttered out to her,

"...I guess I'll go then, because you know...there's a lot of muggers and other criminals out there at night! And since you're a girl all alone in the night and all, you wouldn't know what to do! So um... yeah. I'll... go."

_Stop babbling, idiot!_

He looked up from the ground just in time to see her actually jump up and down with excitement as she clapped her hands together and exclaimed,

"I'm so happy! I'm so happy! Thank you!"

_I didn't think that anyone could ever be so happy about having someone go somewhere with them. _

_**Me**, no less. _

His lips gradually turned up as he looked into her smiling face,

_I have to say that it feels kind of... _

_Nice._

**REVIEWS PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH :D The next chapters gonna havesome festival fun:P**


	4. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

**MANY MANY MANY THANKS TO ALL THE WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC REVIEWERS:D :D :D :D :D :D YAYY! Please enjoy this next chapter :P**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter F O U R **

**_Fumbling Towards Ecstasy_ **

_Do you believe in God?_

_...Not really._

_But why?_

The breeze lightly traced Tohru's skin as she waited jubilantly in front of the church doors, letting the beautiful weather raise her spirits even higher as she smoothed down her pale pink skirt and long sleeved white shirt, completely psyched for the school festival. Tohru looked around the corner for about the third time and then glanced at her watch. It was 5:30, the time when Kyo was supposed to arrive, but the streets were still empty. She turned her head and glanced at the corner again, and finally spotted his orange hair approaching her from the end of the sidewalk; her heart flipped. Tohru waved at him excitedly, calling out,

"Kyo-kun!"

Kyo barely lifted up his lips as he smiled half heartedly at her, the uncertainty lurking clearly in his maroon colored eyes as he got closer to her. She walked up beside him, and wanted to erase any uneasiness that he was feeling as soon as possible, and she was sure that the festival was just the medicine for his unnecessary doubts.

* * *

Bright balloons and nicely crafted booths filled the lively room as Tohru and Kyo entered through the green sliding doors to the room 2A where laughter and chattering stuffed up their ears. Tohru smiled at Kyo's still doleful face and saw her two friends standing by one of the game booths, Uo had a green ball in one of her hands, and was aiming at the standing bottles behind the booth, ready to knock every single one down. Just as her hand was about to thrust forward, Tohru's cheerful voice caused them both to turn around, 

"Meet Uo-chan and Hana-chan!"

Tohru stood next to them with her companion standing idly by, watching the dirty blonde haired girl, and the creepy looking one with wary eyes. Tohru pointed at both of the girls, and Uo was unable to conceal the look of surprise at Tohru's new friend. Uo swiftly took one look at his blazing hair and teased playfully,

"Hey carrot top."

Kyo's face burned as he returned her comment with a seething glare, yelling out,

"What did you call me!"

Uo laughed at his extreme sensitivity and looked at Tohru, asking with a jesting smile,

"Who's your angry friend here?"

"Yes... his vibes are very ferocious..." said Hana with her usual insights.

Tohru's eyes nervously darted between the the three of them, trying to ease any tension by blurting out in a high pitched voice,

"Th-this is Sohma Kyo!"

Uo gave him another once over, and then held out her rough hand, waiting for him to give her a polite handshake, but instead she only got a hesitating stare. After an awkward ten seconds, Kyo reluctantly placed his hand into hers, shaking it tersely before promptly dropping her hand like a log and stuffing his hand right back into his jacket pocket. Uo gave him a look that said, "how-rude," but he ignored it as she folded her arms across her chest,

"Nice to meet ya, carrot top."

"Stop callin' me that!" Kyo fumed.

Tohru bit her lower lip, trying to think of a way to stop the impending battle as Hana drawled out,

"Their battle auras are quite fierce... Uo, let us finish our game. Tohru, would you like to play next?"

Tohru shook her head politely in return and gave a pointed look to Kyo,

"It's okay! I want to show Kyo-kun around anyway. I'll see you guys later!"

Tohru gave them a wave and they turned back to their booth, while Tohru started to snake around the crowd, Kyo following closely behind. Kyo glanced to the right and to the left, feeling the biting stares of other students boring into his skin.

_Why the hell are they all looking at me! _

He felt his body overheating as they both stopped in front of the food booth where there were all kinds of colorful foods on display. Tohru fidgeted with her thumbs for a moment and then pointed up a finger, biting her lip apologetically,

"I'm so sorry, but I have to use the bathroom for just one second! I'll be back very quick."

He grumbled grouchily in return as she gave him one last lingering puppy dog stare before rushing off to the bathroom while he stood like an idiot at the food both. Alone.

* * *

Three girls a few feet away saw him from a distance and one of them whispered to the others, 

"That boy is _really_ hot isn't he?"

Another girl with black hair nodded while eyeing Kyo like a hawk,

"He really is! He looks like a model or something..."

"I think he's a new guy or something...let's go talk to him."

The others agreed immediately and strided over to the food booth with big grins on their faces while they watched intently as Kyo was about to purchase some onigiri. He retracted the money from his wallet though, when he saw the three girls advancing towards him like a lion would on its prey. He avoided making eye contact as he stepped away from them, not wanting to involve himself with hordes of girls. It was too late though, they had already surrounded him, and caused a few more girls to join in with curiosity. Kyo backed up against the window with fear in his eyes as the girls began to talk to him all at once as if he were some sort of celebrity; one bold girl stepped forward and introduced herself sweetly to Kyo,

"Hi! My name is Naru! What's your name?"

* * *

Tohru entered the classroom again after using the bathroom and surveyed the room for Kyo, but he was nowhere to be seen, instead she saw a crowd of girls excitedly infesting the area nearby the window. Confusion seeped into her features as she craned her neck forward to see what the whole fuss was about, but her question was soon answered when she heard Kyo's agonizing scream echo throughout the classroom as he forcefully pushed Naru away. He then slammed the window open, and leaped out of it without even a second of hesitation. The student's mouths dropped open and Uo commented calmly, 

"Jeez, that guy sure knows how to make a scene,"

Naru rubbed her shoulder and whined,

"Oww, he pushed me! I can't believe him!"

"That was the second floor window!" exclaimed another girl who was staring after him as he landed perfectly on all fours, galloping away like some wild animal that had just broke loose from the imprisonment of a cage.

"Yeah, what the hell was that about?" piped up another girl who was completely astonished at the boy's rash actions. Tohru's eyes were wide with shock as she stood there for a moment before she turned her heels, running out of the quickest exit to catch up to Kyo.

She ran around the school for a bit, and finally found him leaning against the beige brick wall, breathing heavily and his eyes wild with bewilderment as he was staring down at the flailing grass. She slowly walked closer to him with caution as she softly apologized,

"I'm sorry... for bringing you here."

His breathing rate slowed down as he raked a hand through his messy hair, letting the fresh air wash over him as he leaned his head back against the cool brick, replying back gruffly,

"Whatever. It's fine. I just... I'm not a people person, so you can go back inside and have fun. I'm gonna go home."

Her eyes widened in alarm as she insisted,

"No, no, wait! ... I can't abandon you like that."

"It's fine," he replied flatly.

_What do I say to make him stay?_

She racked her brain for what seemed like a sweating minute, and spilled out in a high pitched voice,

"U-um... do you want to go somewhere else then? Um.. Ice cream? Movies? I don't mind!"

He peered up at her nervous figure and muttered back tiredly,

"I know you want to be in there."

"No, no! It's completely fine!" she almost screamed out.

Tohru gulped and then paused for a moment, letting the words just tumble out,

"Do you want to go to the roof of the school?"

He was taken aback by her request as he uttered out,

"What?"

She continued with her cheerfulness,

"At night... they have these fireworks, and no on goes up to the rooftop, they usually go outside, so you don't have to deal with anyone, and you can enjoy the fireworks! They're really beautiful at night..."

He acquiesced reluctantly,

"...Fine... but only for a little bit though."

* * *

The wind got colder as the sky was painted a darker shade.

Tohru and Kyo sat on top of the roof together, side by side; Kyo with his legs splayed out in front of him in a messy manner, and Tohru with her knees against her chest. Her voice broke the peaceful silence,

"Kyo?"

Kyo responded back with zero enthusiasm,

"Hnh?"

"Do you believe in God?"

_Where did **that** come from!_

He held back an irritated scoff and answered back with a nonchalant shrug,

"...Not really."

Her eyes showcased curiosity as she asked,

"But why?"

"I don't mean to pry," she added in quickly to be polite.

He felt himself shrug again as he struggled to say,

"With all the things I've seen and been through... I just don't believe that He really cares about me, or any of us for that matter."

"But you believe in his existence, so doesn't that mean you believe?"

He squirmed in his spot and sighed, looking up at the solitary star that blinked quietly back at him,

"Okay, fine, what I meant to say was that, yeah, I think that someone's up there and all... but I just don't believe that He's all that Holy pure goodness crap that everyone else is always talking about. I mean, what has He ever done for me? What has He ever done for _us? _Seriously, look at all the bad shit that happens out in the world everyday..."

She stared ahead for a moment, taking in his rantings before softly speaking,

"My mom... she used to tell me that whenever bad things happened to people, they would always get discouraged and stop believing... but no matter what, there would always, always, be good things waiting for everyone at the end of the darkness."

She glanced sideways at him and continued,

"There's always bad times in everyone's lives... but just remember that after the biggest storms, the most beautiful flowers bloom, and after the hardest pain is the biggest strength...so I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though when things are looking grim, the reward that comes after is ten times better, we just have to be patient with things. So... whenever you're feeling sad, just think about the happiness that's waiting on the other end. And if you're ever in grief, just know that you'll be saved... maybe not directly by God...but he'll surely send a message...maybe even a gift..."

"A gift? What are you talking about?"

Her cheeks burned as she hugged her knees closer to her chest, laughing out nervously,

"I'm sorry! I'm just rambling, aren't I? Um... forget what I said."

_Her advice sounds so corny and downright stupid... but..._

He shook his head and let a smile slip onto his lips unknowingly. She caught his small smile, and grinned at him,

"You smiled! Is it something I said?"

_Her words are inspiring..._

Kyo opened his mouth, and then lazily waved his hand in mid-air,

"It's nothing."

_It sounds stupid...doesn't it?_

"Ah! The firewords are beginning!"

She sat up straight, and gazed up at the fireworks bursting through the air, sending streaks of various colors splashing across the scenery. Kyo watched along with her, looking up at the fireworks blooming in the sky, lighting up the city with its grand beauty.

Without control, he felt his eyes travel to the side, towards his companion, but she didn't notice his stare as he watched her face glow from yellow, to green, to red; she was so entranced by the fireworks that she didn't even move an inch while she gawked upwards with her mouth hanging ajar in a silly little smile of satisfaction.

_I don't think I've ever met..._

She finally broke her gaze away from the fireworks, and beamed at him with her cherry red lips, her face exuding happiness as she asked with excitement,

"Aren't they beautiful?"

_someone quite like this before..._

He leaned his head back, to look once more at the bursting sparks that covered the sky, and then tilted his head in her direction, answering back with half a mutter and a murmur,

"They're... nice."

_A real friend._

"I see you came back."

Kyo stood in the third row of the church, and the reverend was standing at the end of his row, his mustache rising up along with his lips as he looked straight at Kyo with a friendly smile. Kyo glanced at him with celerity, and then gave the reverend a crooked smile, looking straight ahead at the choir that was standing three rows ahead, singing a song of praise at the top of their lungs, and he replied back wistfully,

"I guess some people can really have an effect on you."

**REVIEWS PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH:D**


	5. Push

**THANKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS EVERYONEE WHO REVIEWED! I FEEL SO HAPPY!thank you! Please enjoy this all new chapter :)**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter F I V E**

_**Push**_

"This is my favorite place to go...it's just so beautiful and full of life! ...What do you think Kyo-kun?"

The sun caressed both of their faces as they stood face to face out in the church gardens. The light poured translucently on top of the perfeclty manicured lawn and scattered flowers that bloomed in bundles underneath huge oak treess that swayed to the sound of the whispering winds. Tohru was grinning under the shining light, her eyes dancing as she watched Kyo's face twist into a sudden frown as he commented with annoyance,

"There are too many damn flowers!"

She laughed behind her hands as she gave him a timid look, saying in a small voice,

"I'm... glad that you came by today. It really meant a lot."

His whole face burned as he crossed his arms over his chest, huffing out,

"Well, that was just a fluke! It won't happen again!"

She didn't plead for him to go to church every Sunday, nor did she frown with disappointment; instead, she smiled widely at him, and said,

"It's okay. You came, and that's all that matters."

Kyo looked away in embarrassment, burning a spot in the dirt path beneath his red and white ratty sneakers that stared back up at him. Tohru clasped her hands behind her, asking happily,

"So do you live around the neighborhood?"

He looked upwards at the shifting clouds, ruffling the back of his hair with his fingers as he muttered out,

"Yeah... just some crappy apartment around here."

Her excitement bubbled over as she stepped forward,

"Wow! You have your own house! That's so independent of you!"

_I don't choose to live alone..._

Kyo shrugged in reply, quickly veering the conversation into another direction,

"So you have a job?"

Her head bobbed up and down energetically as she exclaimed with a silly grin,

"Yes! I work at this building a few blocks down! I clean and do other things... it's really fun!"

Kyo smirked and retorted,

"Only _you_ would think that labor was fun."

Tohru blushed slightly as she laughed tersely and then returned the same question he had asked before,

"Do you work too?"

Kyo's nod was more dull and forced as he drawled out slowly,

"Yeah...as a bartender at some sleazy old bar."

"That sounds exciting!"

"It's not."

She placed a graceful finger to the bottom of her chin, asking thoughtfully,

"So what do you do in your free time if you have no school? Any hobbies?"

_Drinking? Does that qualify?_

A figment of memory from his past suddenly burst to the surface of his mind again, reminding him of his one and only passion that he had, making Kyo sigh aloud and reply breezily,

"Uh... I guess... that I've always wanted to be a martial artist when I was younger, but I never really pursued it. ...It sounds stupid to tell a girl, doesn't it?"

"Oh no! Kyo-kun, that's so terrible! Everyone should have a chance to live out their dreams..."

Kyo just shrugged nonchalantly and stuffed his hands in his pocket, growling out in a low rumble,

"Whatever, it doesn't even matter anymore."

Tohru raised her fist up in encouragement and squeaked out,

"There's always time to start! And... and maybe you can teach me a few things about fighting after you've become a black belt martial artist!"

He raised an eyebrow at her as he sneered overtly at her,

"You?"

Tohru's eyes swirled with determination as she answered back with sweet fierceness,

"Yes! I know a few things! Like... um... I saw this guy on TV do this kick thing, it was amazing!"

Her eyebrows drew together with concentration as she lifted her leg sheepishly in the air, then kicking it out with all her strength, grunting loudly in the whole process, and then nearly falling over after attempting to do the stunt. Tohru blushed heavily after regaining her balance, stealing a bashful glance at Kyo, watching his blank face, asking,

"How was it?"

His emotionless expression then burst into life as a huge grin flew to his lips while he tried to refrain from belting out into a fit of laughter. The image of her pitiful kick was just so comical to Kyo as he went up to Tohu, gently swapping her on the head with the palm of his hand as he shook his head mockingly at her,

"That... completely sucked!"

She smiled at him as he stood in a fighting stance, fists raised and legs apart, letting the knowledge of the few books on martial arts float up to the front of his mind again. Kyo then released a powerful kick that cut the wind in half, resulting in a huge "whoosh" that could literally be heard by human ears. After the impressive kick, he went into a whole series of other complcated kicks that all melded together into something that looked almost like a complex dance from a movie. Tohru watched him stand back into a normal position and felt her mouth drop open with awe as she clapped her hands together, a huge smile plastered onto her radiant face,

"That was amazing!"

She laced her fingers together in admiration, stating breathlessly,

"You're truly a natural born fighter! I can see it in your eyes!"

Kyo's face turned crimson as he muttered back in disbelief,

"No... I'm not..."

She furrowed her eyebrows together and told him with as much strength as her voice could muster,

"Yes you are! ...I know that it's hard to believe in ourselves all the time, because we all have our doubts... but... sometimes we just have to really open up our eyes and try to see the good abilities that we all possess sometimes... and I really want you to know that this is one ability that you shouldn't doubt even a little bit. It's really a gift that you have! Truly."

Right when she finished her small insight, her dark brown eyes brightened up with light as she flung off her bookbag, snapping it open and rummaging through it wildly, finally pulling out a plain white sheet of paper with bold black letters written all over it. She held out the paper to Kyo's puzzled face and explained,

"I just remembered that I got this flyer that was hanging out on the school bulletin board! It's for this new martial arts school that just opened up a few weeks ago! It's perfect, and not too costly! Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

Kyo stared down at the paper and snatched it out from her hands, scanning the paper with his eyes, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his face as he scanned the words over again. The words were there, but none of them made much sense to him... he maybe knew about five words at most. He felt his face begin to grow hotter and hotter and his hands suddenly begin to tighten on the piece of paper, crumpling it a little bit as he looked away from her expectant stare, stuttering out with anguish,

"I... can't read... very well."

He then exploded as he threw his hands up in the air,

"Ugh! This is so stupid anyway!"

He crumpled up the paper into a small wrinkled sphere, and stuffed it into the deep depths of his pocket as he folded his arms across his chest again, looking away with pursed lips. Her gasp interrupted his heavy breathing as she cried out incredulously,

"Ah! Kyo-kun... you can't read?"

His face turned to an even deeper shade of red as he quietly looked off into the distance, not wanting to reply to the humiliating question. His reluctance to answer gave her the push to make an offer to him,

"I can teach you how to read and write after school if you want..."

He could feel his nostrils flaring as he nearly yelled out,

"I'm not going to sit around and be babied and taught the damn alphabet by a _girl_! It's stupid!"

She shook her head vigorously from side to side, insisting,

"It won't be like that at all! I won't treat you like that in any way! I just think that everyone should have the chance to read and write... and I really want to help you, after all, that's what friends do!"

_Friends..._

The solitary word raced through his head as he felt his hands loosen from his shaking fists, feeling a sense of calmness rush across his whole body. Kyo swallowed hard and finally said with a quiet voice,

"I'll try..."

He kept his eyes downward, as he continued to grumble out,

"Just one lesson though... if I don't like it, I'm quitting!"

Tohru jumped up, completely enthralled with his answer,

"Of course! I'm just glad to help!"

* * *

The afternoon arrived, and the sun had already moved behind the clouds as Kyo's shadow faded fast away from the ground. He was standing outside the new dojo that Tohru had told him about, and was currently staring blatantly at the sliding doors with a shred of longingness looming over his crimson colored eyes.

"Excuse me, may I help you?"

Kyo spun around to see an older man standing right behind him. He had graying hair that was tied neatly into a low ponytail, a piece of short brown string wound tightly to hold it in place. Kyo opened his mouth, but was unable to form a coherent sentence after being caught in the act of gawking,

"Ah...uh..."

"It looks like you want to go in."

Kyo cleared his throat and then looked right into the man's kind gray pool of eyes, asking gruffly,

"Who are you?"

The gray hared man smiled warmly at Kyo, bowing curtly while introducing himself,

"My name is Kazuma, and I am the master of this dojo...so are you going to go inside? You can just watch if you want."

Kyo hesitated for a moment and then said,

"I'll just watch..."

Caught up in the midst of desire, Kyo followed Kazuma inside and let the smell of the fresh paint and wood waft up his nose. Kyo surveyed the area of the small dojo and looked around at all the empty space and the students that were lined up against the wall, chatting and laughing with each other, sporting their loose white outfits and brightly colored cloth belts around their waists. Kyo leaned up against the wall in the corner of the room as Kazuma started up his lesson to the eager students that stood in orderly lines. He watched for an hour, watching the kids learn their forms of kicks and punches, and with each moment that passed, Kyo could feel the burning desire to join the dojo grow even further in his swelling heart... his passion was tingling all over as he felt his fists tighten up again.

Once the class finished, and everyone began packing up their belongings, Kazuma strolled over to the orange haired boy sitting in the corner, asking with the same kindness from before,

"So what did you think?"

He couldn't control himself as he blurted out,

"It was friggin awesome!"

Kazuma chuckled and said with a small nod,

"That's good to hear."

Kyo took a deep breath, and glanced at the last kid that had just left the door, looking back into Kazuma's gentle eyes as he stated as firmly as possible,

"What... do I have to do to join?"

A broad smile spread across the man's lips as he patted Kyo on the shoulder,

"I knew you'd say that. You have the passion of martial arts in your eyes... I can see it."

_"You're truly a natural born fighter! I can see it in your eyes!"_

_Those words, they came back to me...and for the very first time, I really started tobelieve in myself. Just a little bit..._

_She's slowly pushing me to become someone that I've always wanted to be...

* * *

_

Now, every Sunday morning that came along, right in the middle of the third row, sticking out like a sore thumb, was a boy with a bright head of orange hair that sat low in his seat, eyes glued to the front of the church.

Every Sunday.

**PLEASE REVIEW! I would appreciate it so much :) THANK YOU! **

**STAY TUNED for the next chapterr :P**


	6. Stupid

**SUPER DUPER POOPER THANKS TO ALL OF THE WONDERFUL AND FANTASTIC REVIEWERS:D :D :D :D :D :D YAYY! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Now that's out of the way... please enjoy the next chapter :P**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter F I V E**

_**Stupid**_

"ARGHH!"

A sea of papers fluttered slowly across the air as Tohru watched Kyo's temper tantrum unfold before her widened brown eyes. His nostrils were literally flaring as he banged his fist against the table, causing a mini earthquake to rumble throughout the surface of the small table. He threw his hands up in the air and complained bitterly,

"This is so damn frustrating!"

Tohru put her hands in front of her, desperately trying to calm him down, but he only faced her with a defiant glare,

"K-Kyo-kun! It's okay to get frustrated once in a while, but we'll get through it! I guarantee it!"

"Who cares!"

He pointed firmly at the scattered books that lay strewn across the wine colored carpeting of Tohru's living room and yelled out with abhorrence,

"I mean, who actually wants to read about some stupid kid that loves his dog? Or another one about some moron who wants to get married to an equally moronic princess! Who comes up with these books!"

He was pulling at his hair as he banged his fist on the table again, finally beginning to release the steam out from his body as his breathing slowly returned to a normal level. Tohru crawled around to pick up the scattered papers that had fallen, but froze when a strong hand grasped at her thin wrists,

"Don't even think about cleaning up!"

She looked to her left and saw his ruby eyes piercing into hers, her breath stopped. He nearly wrenched her arm away, immediately beginning to messily gather up the papers that he had thrown to the ground before, never looking up as he continuously stooped down to pick up each and every loose piece of paper. Tohru bit her lower lip and insisted,

"Please let me help! I don't mind!"

He held up a hand to her face, and then slammed the stack of papers sloppily on top of the table, declaring,

"Too bad, I already cleaned it all up."

"Thank you! But you really didn't have to..."

Kyo rolled his eyes and poked her in the forehead lightly, causing her to bounce backwards an inch or so, smirking as he teased playfully,

"That's what you get for being so stubborn."

A sea of pink rushed through her cheeks as she lowered her head, clearing her throat softly as she squeaked out,

"Alright... so let's continue shall we?"

Kyo let out an exasperated sigh, but stayed put, nodding dolefully as he buckled himself down for the rest of the grueling lesson.

* * *

It was growing dark outside as Kyo walked gradually home from his daily lessons at the church with Tohru. He was starting to dread the painful walks home by himself, kicking at the stray pebbles on the ground as he let the wind whip through his bright hair. Kyo blew out a long, trailing breath, looking down when he accidentally stepped on top of a crumpled, dirty newspaper that lay limply on the street. He ignored it at first, but the bold headlines caused his eyes stick to the paper. It read: **A KATANA GANG MEMBER HAS ESCAPED FROM JAIL: BEWARE!**

His heart stopped when his eyes lowered to the hazy black and white picture that planted itself below the headline; it was a face that he recognized. A face that he _knew_.

Kyo felt his mouth turn south as his scuffed shoe kicked the crushed paper behind him, walking quickly away from the unpleasant news that was settling down into the pits of his stomach. He rubbed his forehead repeatedly, wanting to push the resurfacing memories of his past out of his throbbing head, he couldn't let old memories catch up with him. He just couldn't.

Kyo finally stopped in front of his dreary gray apartment, pulling out his jingling silver keys from the bottom of his jacket pocket, then he lifted up his head and felt his grip tighten around his sharp keys when he saw a tall man standing at the doorway with a heavy brown cloth cloak and a large hood over his head, concealing his facial features. The mysterious man was hunched over in the shadows of the trees and staring at the chipped door of the apartment.

Kyo stepped forward, looking at the man very cautiously, jumping backwards when the cloaked man swiveled around, his face still hidden beneath the covers of the shadows. Then, a voice called out to Kyo... a voice that was vaguely familiar.

"Kyo?"

Kyo gave the stranger his deadliest glare and snarled out,

"Who the hell are you?"

The man gave no answer, he only lifted up a lighted hand that slid down the hood of the cloak, unveiling an unshaven and unwashed face.

"It's me..."

Kyo almost fell back in shock when he saw the man step into the streetlight, breaking out from beneath the layers of shadows.

"...Leon!"

A smirk appeared on Leon's bruised lips as he grunted out,

"Long time no see, bro."

Before a moment of reaction could be taken in, Leon lunged forward and hugged Kyo tightly, and then pushed him away as he patted him on the back with sentiment filled in his features. Kyo brushed off his coat and said with disdain,

"Damn Leon! When did you get all damn mushy?"

Leon laughed rasply and scratched at his unkempt hair, replying back nonchalantly,

"I'm not. It's just good to see a familiar face around here for once..."

* * *

Kyo led Leon to his miniscule apartment and tossed him a ice cold can of beer, snapping one open for himself, taking in a long, bubbly gulp before asking, 

"So explain... what the hell you were thinking. Escaping jail? Are you insane?"

Leon shrugged cooly, sipping the bitter liquid, satisfied to feel the burning sensation soothe his dry throat. Leon let out a content little sigh after the taste settled into his mouth and responded in a deep voice,

"I don't know... I just couldn't take it in there anymore. It's fucking shitty in there.. and I'm good now! I swear! I don't want to go back into that hell hole though.. I just won't."

Kyo couldn't help but raise his voice as he yelled out,

"Damn! What about the police? You can't spend your life runnin' away, the police are gonna be on your ass looking for you all the damn time! You know that right?"

"Jeez, enough of the lecture Kyo. Plus.. I have this all planned out."

Kyo crossed his arms over his chest and grunted out,

"Plan? You've gotta be kiddin' me..."

Leon leaned back against the backing of his chair and waved his free hand in the air for effect,

"Yeah. I'm going to leave this dinky old place..."

Leon's once dull eyes brightened up when he shot up from his seat, exclaiming,

"Hey! Why don't you come with me?"

Kyo squinted at Leon carefully, asking,

"What?"

"Come with me to another country. It can be like old times."

_Old times..._

_But..._

_That's not what I want anymore... _

_Right?_

Leon sunk another shot of beer into his already tingling throat, adding with excitement brewing in his voice,

"Remember all the fun that we used to have back then? Man... those were good times."

_Used to..._

Kyo looked away and said sadly,

"... I've got a life here already."

Leon frowned,

"A life? What do you do?"

"I work at a ... bar."

Leon grunted and scoffed out,

"Jee, what else is so great about being in this dinky place? Give me one good reason why you want to stay."

A silence fell upon the both of them as Kyo couldn't help but picture her gentle smile and her soft, kind eyes...

"Well?"

Kyo gulped and looked away, muttering out,

"I don't know...I guess I'm just so used to everything around here."

Leon's voice filled with disbelief

"So you're just gonna stay in this place just because you're used to it? C'mon man... we've been best friends ever since... well... I got arrested. You're not gonna let me go back there are you? I never meant the shit that I did back then... I've changed! I swear!"

Leon placed a hand over the middle of his chest and grinned cheesily at Kyo who sighed, thinking,

_You **were** my best friend... but... were you really a true friend?_

_  
What do I do?_

"Where the hell would you run to anyway?"

Leon threw a crushed empty beer can into the trash can across the room and said with a small mischevious smile,

"I don't know. Somewhere a billion miles away I suppose. Maybe... America. It seems exciting over there."

Kyo leaned back against the chalk colored walls and muttered out,

"Wow, you're actually serious."

"Dead serious."

Leon frowned and insisted,

"So come on... let's go, what are you waiting for? We've been through thick and thin... you're not gonna bail on me now right?"

Kyo paused and felt the guilt sink in, he had to go didn't he? After all this guy had been by his side for years, he couldn't let this girl who he had met for only a month or so hold him back from what was really important... right?

"You're right..."

Kyo paused and firmly stated,

"Let's go then."

Leon got up from the bed and smiled, slapping Kyo a high five,

"This is gonna be so wicked!"

He then smirked and scratched the back of his messy black hair with his grimy fingernails,

"Uh... you got anymore beer?"

Kyo pointed at the small fridge behind him and replied,

"In the fridge."

Leon opened up the fridge and stuck his nose in it, calling out,

"Well, this is a nice little pad you've got here. A little dingy, but good..."

Some rustling was heard in the kitchen and then his voice returned,

"...So, have you met any interesting people around this place?"

Kyo paused and said in a low voice,

"No one in particular..."

"No hot chicks that you've had to fight off?"

Kyo rolled his eyes and coughed out,

"Hell no!"

Leon shut the fridge door, holding up an apple and another can of beer as he said with a grin,

"I see you still haven't changed. You're still afraid of girls."

Kyo's face heated up and he almost yelled out,

"No!"

Leon took a juicy chomp out of the edge of the red apple and said,

"Whatever. Anyway, let's get moving tomorrow night. Sound good?"

_Leon needs a friend right now... and he's got no one else but me... I can't turn my back on him. _

_I can't._

Kyo only hesitated for a moment before nodding back in agreement.

* * *

Leon's snoring bounced across the walls of the dark and still room while Kyo tossed and turned in his bed, unable to clear his mind of leaving this place. He finally sighed with frustration and threw off his thin blanket, swinging his naked feet over the side of his bed, grabbing his black jacket off the chair a few feet away. Kyo then shut the door quietly, walking through the eerily silent streets, and stopping in front of the church that stood before him. He took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy doors, stepping inside to see that it was pitch black inside, but his eyes soon adjusted, and he found his way around, shuffling up the winding steps, his hand sliding smoothly across the cool wooden banister. Kyo then stopped in front of the locked door that led to Tohru's house, and knocked semi-loudly, two times. Kyo waited for a few seconds, getting restless as he shifted from one foot to the other. Finally, the door swung open and his heart dropped when he saw her huge smile directed right at him 

_It's too bad, I'm going to be the one that wipes that smile away..._

She stepped outside and shut the door behind her very quietly as she whispered out into the empty church,

"Kyo-kun... what are you doing out here so late?"

Kyo's stomach was twisting into a million knots as he mumbled out,

"Were you about to sleep?"

Tohru laughed lightly and answered back,

"Oh no, not really. So... is everything okay?"

No words came forth from his mouth as he looked down, not wanting to look at the outline of her worried face any longer. Her voice penetrated the silence,

"Kyo?"

Kyo finally blurt out,

"You don't have to teach me the lessons anymore."

Tohru's eyebrows shot up,

"Really? Um... o-okay! You're doing very well, but if it's too stressing or stupid um..."

Kyo groaned out loud, and hit the wall with his fist,

"It's not that...it's just that..."

Tohru stared at him with puzzled eyes and Kyo finally told her with a distraught voice,

"I'm leaving the country."

Her eyes filled with shock and fear as she uttered out in confusion,

"Wh-What!"

He placed a heavy hand on her shaking shoulder and clarified in a quiet voice,

"I'm leaving Japan..."

Her voice squeaked out,

"But why?"

Kyo looked up at the blank ceiling and shut his eyes, trying to rest his throbbing head,

"I met an old friend the other day... and he needs my help. He wants me to go with him to America... so I've gotta be there."

Tohru was at loss of words, unable to do or say anything that could help the situation,

"B-But..."

Tears started to spill over already as her chin lowered.

His mouth dropped open a little, but what could he say or do to make her pain fade away? He could only watch her as she cried silently in the dark hall, his hand falling down from her frail shoulder, feeling at a complete loss. Kyo simply said, as strongly as he could,

"Don't cry...okay?"

Tohru shook her head and wiped at her eyes relentlessly,

"Wh-When..?"

"What?"

She choked out,

"When are you leaving?"

"...Tomorrow."

"So soon...?"

Kyo placed his hands firmly on both of her shoulders again, shaking her a bit as he pleaded,

"Don't cry!"

"I-I'm sorry..."

"...We've only known each other for a month, right? So...it'll be okay..."

_Will it really be okay?_

"Are you ever going to come back?"

she asked in a small voice, looking up at him with her blotchy face, covered with tears. He stared at her shadowed face, and answered after a delayed pause,

"I don't know..."

She stepped back from him, leaning her back against her door, her hand on the knob,

"So this is goodbye?"

Kyo could feel his heart shredding slowly as he croaked out uneasily,

"I guess so..."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then let out a soft sniffle, before nodding silently. Kyo was at a loss of words, so he finally muttered out,

"I better get going."

_What do I say? What **can** I say?_

No words left her mouth as she watched him with her blurred vision; watching him back away from her; watching his dark shadow run down the winding steps, and out of the wooden doors of the church; he was gone.

Kyo ran outside and walked down the street, his eyes hazed with anger and pain as he reared his head back and let out a piercing scream as he put his hand back and punched the nearest tree, denting it permanently. He stared at the injured bark with tremoring eyes, looking down at the blood dripping down the sides of his hand, but he didn't feel the stinging pain on his hand, all he could think about was her face and how he had crushed her.

* * *

"What are you doing?" 

It was a sunny morning and Leon was standing outside in front of the gushing waters of the fountain, watching it pour down and bubble. He turned around and saw Kyo standing behind him with one eyebrow raised, informing with a smirk,

"Oh, I jus woke up early, and decided to take a little walk, cuz I couldn't sleep. I was too excited, thinkin about America."

Kyo frowned when he thought about the other night again, answering back, less than enthralled,

"Oh."

Leon let out a small chuckle and retorted,

"You don't sound too excited."

"I am, I just don't show it."

Leon shrugged and walked beside Kyo,

"Alrightey, well we might as well head home, and pack your stuff right?"

Kyo shot a glare at Leon and hissed,

"You know you coulda gotten caught out here, you dumbass."

Leon rolled his eyes and shrugged in response to Kyo's indignant behavior.

As the two of them walked along the sidewalk, Kyo snapped up straight from his dazed, and irritated stupor when he heard a high pitched female voice calling out to him from behind. He slowly turned around and felt his heart sink downward when he saw Tohru behind them with a smile on her face.

"Kyo-kun!"

Leon glanced at Kyo and then smiled mischeviously at the brunette girl that stopped right in front of them, cheeks flushed. She faced Leon kindly and smiled,

"Ah, you must be Kyo's friend! It's nice to meet you, my name is Honda Tohru!"

Kyo wasn't even listening to anything that was happening, all he could think about was,

_Why does she have to be walking out here!_

Kyo cleared his throat audibly and then pulled Leon backwards by the collar of his shirt, and then muttered under his breath,

"Alright Leon, let's go."

Leon slapped Kyo's hand away and responded with a wide grin,

"Don't be rude! You're not even gonna introduce me to your friend?"

Kyo could feel his veins popping in his head as he replied through clenched teeth,

"This is Leon... now let's go."

Kyo was about to walk away, but Leon pulled him back,

"Wait, wait, how do you two know each other?"

Tohru's eyes brightened as she began,

"We met throug--"

"On the street. I bumped into her,"

Kyo cut in, casting a dirty glare at Leon, who was oblivious to any of the signs Kyo was giving out. Leon grinned and murmured out jocularly,

"How romantic."

Tohru laughed nervously along with Leon, and then looked down at the cement for a moment, finally raising her eyes up to look at Kyo's,

"Um... so... you guys are leaving?"

Kyo's face fell flat as he looked away, unable to look into her pained expression. Leon's eyebrows scrunched together as he asked with a befuddled expression,

"Eh? You told her? When?"

Leon paused and then inquired,

"Last night?"

Tohru was now more confused than anyone else as she uttered out,

"Eh?"

Kyo's fists tightened and his face filled with a tint of red as he said through gritted teeth,

"Shut up Leon. We're going back."

Without even saying another word to Tohru, he whirled around and began to walk. Leon bit his lip and then did a small salute towards Tohru's direction as he called out,

"See ya later Tohru-san!"

She waved back, sorrow filling her eyes as she watched the two of them turn their backs to her, walking down the road.

Leon chased up to Kyo's irate figure and he yelled out,

"What the hell was that?"

"What?"

Leon rolled his eyes and scoffed out,

"That girl... she's not just your friend, is she?"

Kyo shook his fist in the air as he announced loudly,

"She's not even my friend! So just leave me alone!"

Leon blew out a breath and eyed Kyo carefully,

"She _does_ mean something more to you... why the hell else would you go out of your way just to tell her that you were leaving then? You're such a freakin' moron."

Kyo picked up his pace, a hot trail of steam streaming out from behind,

"Whatever."

Leon snorted at Kyo's aloof exterior and fell into a silence as they both entered his apartment again.

* * *

The hot water blasted onto Kyo's worn out face as he squeezed his eyes shut, letting the burning liquid trickle down his face and down his body. Seconds, turned to minutes, and minutes turned into nearly half an hour as he Kyo turned the knob down, the water dying down from the mouth of the showerhead. Kyo stood there in the middle of his tub, breathing heavily as the steam fogged his vision. He whipped the towel off from the rack on the wall and quickly wiped himself off, throwing on a fresh new shirt and old pants. He placed his hand on the knob and then opened it, ready to see Leon's excited face sitting on his ratty bed, but to his surprise no one was sitting there. 

_Maybe he's in the kitchen?_

Kyo stepped out from the humid bathroom and felt the fresh air pelt him in the face as he walked across the cold floor, barefoot. He searched around the small cubicle of an apartment, finding that Leon was no where to be seen,

"Leon?"

Kyo frowned as he checked the kitchen, finding it eerily empty, so he went back over to his bed, wondering where Leon had run to now. His eyes fell on to a scrawled up piece of paper that was sitting on top of his blanket, he snatched it up and scanned it, at first the words didn't make too much sense, since he had only had a few lessons with Tohru, but after a while the words started to come together and make sense to him,

_I can see that you like it here in this ol' town. Seems like a great little life you got here... I hope I can find that someday too_

_Maybe we'll run into each other again if I ever decide to come back to Japan..._

_See ya later bro. Don't worry about me._

_Leon_

The note fluttered from beneath his loose fingers as he stared straight ahead, out of the window. He felt shocked... and somewhat _relieved_ as he slammed open the door and raced out of his house. It was pretty late that night... but he had somewhere to go, somewhere to _be_. The place where she was waiting; the place where he had to apologize; the place where God lived.

**WHOoooo , that was a long one oO well anyway, REVIEWS PLEASEEEE :DTHANKS:P Oh and remember toSTAY TUNED... FOR THE NEXT CHAPTERRRRRR:D :D :D :D **


	7. Trust

**I know I haven't updated in ... well... a long time, there's just been no time, but I think I'll try to start up with this story again. Give it another go... so... I hope you guys will stay tuned with the story :D THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS TOO:)**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter S E V E N **

**_Trust_ **

_"You won't tell anyone about this will you?"_

_"Eh! Of course not! I promise!"_

_"You don't have to promise it so enthusiastically."_

_"Sorry! But I do promise!"_

_"I trust you."_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There he was again, standing in front of the entrance of the church, picking up his fallen nerves so that he could push those double doors open. His hand touched the handle of the door, when it suddenly flew open, causing Kyo to jump back a few feet, screaming out,

"HOLY SH--!"

Tohru stumbled backwards as well, yelping out with a reddened face,

"K-Kyo-kun! I didn't see you there, I'm sorry!"

Kyo slowly regained his composure and wiped at his sleeves, blushing while exclaiming with exasperation, angry that he had lost his cool,

"Where the heck are you going anyway, it's nearly midnight!"

"Oh! I just came out to go water the plants out in the garden because I haven't gotten to it all day!"

Kyo pursed his lips together and grumbled out,

"I didn't need a whole explanation."

Tohru bowed her head slightly and apologized very quickly,

"S-sorry!"

Kyo placed a hand over his face,

"I mean... I didn't mean to sound so harsh just not... uh..."

Suddenly her eyes became wide and vulnerable as she looked up at him, murmuring,

"Um... I thought you were leaving..."

Kyo's hand fell from his face as he looked straight into her eyes, his heart flipping while he coughed behind his hand. Her face suddenly paled as she squeaked out,

"N-not that I wanted you to leave! I'm glad that you're here and all! And, and I'm glad that you're staying! I mean, are you staying?"

Her eyes were practically in a swirl as she rambled on, and te sweat felt like it was streaming down her face like a waterfall. Kyo leaned his head back, averting his eyes away from hers and muttered out,

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about... that."

A worried crease formed on her forehead as Tohru nodded and led him to the garden where they sat down on the grass together, side by side, her silver cross shining brightly under the pale, lucid moonlight. He spread his legs out in front of him and took a deep breath, reluctant with his words. Tohru glanced sideways and prodded him on very gently,

"Um... so what do you need to talk about?"

Kyo exhaled sharply,

"...I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting lately... if I've been colder towards you or whatever... or if I... hurt your feelings in any way."

Tohru's heart beat soundly in her chest and she toyed with the silver chain around her neck, blushing,

"Oh no, it's alright... you were helping out a friend...and you weren't being cold at all!"

She looked down, and then back at him, fumbling with the chain again, getting nervous as she asked quietly,

"Are you still leaving?"

"...I'm not."

Tohru's face went from a diffident frown to a gleaming grin as she faced him completely, clasping her hands together, happily,

"Oh! That's such good news!"

Her eyes then shred with concern,

"But what about Leon? Where'd he go?"

Kyo pushed his head back so that his view was of the starless sky,

"I honestly don't know... I wonder if he's headed towards America right now..."

"How come... you didn't go with him?"

Kyo turned his head in her direction and shrugged,

"He left without me knowing, so I never had the chance to go along with him... I guess he didn't want to drag me into... his troubles."

Her eyebrows drew together as she asked with worry,

"Will he be okay? Is he in big trouble?"

He sighed and looked at her perplexed expression, gazing ahead into space,

_Why can't I just release the turmoil that's slowly building up inside of me for once? I always bottle everything up... and put this suffocating facade on me so that no one can see the real me, but I'm tired of pretending... I'm tired of hiding, and now's my perfect chance to come out from behind these chains of secrets and taste the freedom. Now's my chance..._

_But..._

_One question still sticks in my head... _

_Will she like what she sees after I let this mask break from my gruesome face? _

_There's only one way to find out..._

"Tohru..."

He looked away and continued with a moment of hesitation,

"Leon and I used to be part of a...a..."

Kyo frowned and finished lamely,

"Gang."

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as she repeated distinctly,

"A...gang?"

Another quick pass of shame tingled throughout his body as he nodded dolefully, waiting for her reply. Her voice got softer as she inquired gently,

"How did it happen?"

Kyo stared up at the sky, memories leaking in his head as if it were just yesterday it had happened...

_**A few years back...**_

_"Kyo, is it?"_

_A small boy of about five years old wore a sullen face and bright burning hair as he slowly looked up at the woman's kind oval face. She was looking down at him with these small dark brown eyes that were filled with genuine kindness and tenderness all mixed in together. The boy bit his lower lip and looked away, not saying a word as the woman continued with a soothing voice,_

_"It's okay if you're scared to be here...everyone else is too."_

_The boy shot back with defiance,_

_"No they're not. They're all playing with each other... and I'm the only one that they don't like to play with because I'm **new**."_

_The woman smiled tenderly and touched the child's soft face, causing him to flinch backwards as she quietly expressed,_

_"C'mon Kyo's let's go out into the yard. No one hates you... they're just scared. Trust me..."_

_She held out her hand and smiled, and Kyo looked down at it with a look of longing before hesitantly taking her hand, following after her in a slow and embarrassed pace. He hid behind her as she introduced him to the kids, shooting him one more smile before heading back into the orphanage, leaving Kyo standing in the middle of the yard with all the kids looking at him. One boy ran up to him and marveled at his hair,_

_"Wow! I really like your hair! My name is Haku!"_

_Kyo blinked back in surprise and looked around at all the round little faces that stared back at him with amazement, as if he were a huge piece of chocolate. He smiled tentatively and sheepishly tagged along with the other kids as they explained the rules to the game that they had been playing before. Kyo grinned as he listened carefully, completely relieved to have made friends so fast. _

_Years slipped by and Kyo had stayed at the orphanage for those years, having no intention of leaving the place. Kids came and went, but one girl caught his eye in particular. She was a five year old who had her golden brown hair pulled back into two small pigtails, and her frail body was loosely covered in blue overalls and a stained white t-shirt._

_He had met her for the first time when he was training in the yard, practicing his kicks and punches after reading up on a book about martial arts. He remembered hearing silent sobbing from a distance and when he turned, he spotted a young girl crying by herself under a tree, sobbing silently into the palms of her hands. He looked over towards the tree, and looked at the small child, frowning as he strided over to her, plopping down beside her, asking a bit obnoxiously,_

_"Why are you crying?"_

_A loud sniffle protruded from her nose and she looked up with wet eyes, seeing the older boy staring down at her with menacing crimson eyes. She promptly put her head back down, taking in a shaky breath while her eyes filled with a fresh batch of tears. Kyo leaned back against the tree comfortably and said apathetically,_

_"I'm not gonna hurt you or anything, so you don't have to be such a scaredy-cat."_

_She wiped at her eyes and cried out defensively,_

_"I'm not a scaredy-cat!" _

"Then why are you crying?"

_She pouted and crossed her legs, while looking straight ahead, unable to answer that question as she shyly looked away. Kyo sighed and looked at her shaking hands, feeling his heart go out to her, since he had felt the very same way when he had first arrived in this place at the beginning. He understood._

_"Is it because you're new here and you're scared that you won't make any friends and that you won't be able to make it on your own?_

_She peered over at him, astounded that he had pinpointed her exact fears, asking with awe while wiping at her eyes again,_

_"H-How did you know?"_

_Kyo pointed at his head and grinned,_

_  
"Let's just say that I'm sort of a mind reader."_

_"Really!"_

_"No, you idiot,"_

_Kyo smirked and poked her lightly in the shoulder, asking,_

_"So what's your name?"_

_A small smile broke onto her lips as she announced brightly,_

_  
"My name is Yumi! What about you?"  
_

_"Kyo."_

_Kyo leaned forward, stretching out his calves as he glanced in her direction, asking with a lopsided grin,_

_"You want to learn some cool martial art moves?"_

_She scrambled up from her spot beneath the tree and clapped her hands together eagerly, _

_"Okay!"_

_Ever since that day, Yumi had always stuck to Kyo like glue, just like a little sister would. She was now seven, and he was twelve. Things went smoothly from that point on, until the nightmare began._

_Everyone was out in the yard after lunchtime, playing their usual mindless games together, then a girl that was around twelve years old approached Kyo, her name was Kagura, and she had a coy smile curled up on her lips as she treaded over to him, her soft brown curls framing her petite face. Kyo saw her coming and smiled tightly in her direction, ready to walk away, but she stood before him, a deep blush staining her cheeks as she bashfully said,_

_"Kyon-chaann... I need to tell you something."  
_

_Naturally, this caused attention from the others, and they all began to crowd around like rodents to the sight of a hunk of cheese. Kyo's eyes darted around and he asked with a small frown forming on the edge of his lips,_

_"...What?"_

_She stepped closer to him, and his frown dug deeper as she was now only inches away, she smiled and declared her confession loudly,_

_"I like you!"_

_Kyo's eyes grew wide, and his heart dropped downward as he shrank backwards a little, muttering out,_

_  
"I don't like you..." _

Her eyes drooped and at first she was filled with sadness, but then she only grew more violent with each second, she advanced closer to him and yelled out,

_"How can you say that! You are so cruel!" _

_  
She wailed out with anger and pounced on him, and he tried to escape, but it was too late, she had already jumped on top of him, causing a huge cloud of orange tinted smoke to fill the air. Kagura jumped back with a gasp and fell into the crowd of gaping kids. Yumi shakily walked over to the clearing smoke, trembling as she stared downwards with astonishment. The smoke cleared and Kyo was gone; there was only an orange cat that lay on the grass, clothes strewn all around it. The whole place started screaming, and the cat scampered away, but a kid grabbed it by its tail, crying out,_

_"Where'd you take Kyo!"_

_The cat glared at the kid, and snapped back,_

_"Leave me alone!"_

_"It talks!"_

_Kyo opened up his mouth and took a huge bite at the boy's hand, causing a huge yelp to come out from the chubby little boy as he dropped the cat to the grass, howling out in pain while clutching his bleeding hand. Everyone started screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs, eliciting attention from the matron who came running out with alarm in her eyes, frantically trying to gather information from the kids. _

_Yumi left the pack of hysterical children and chased after the cat that had run into the bushes. She rustled through the bushes and finally spotted the cat sitting and shivering alone by the bushes._

_"Nee-san?" (Older brother)_

_The cat sprang upwards and was about to hightail it, but Yumi scooped the cat up into her arms,_

_"W-Wait!"_

_"Let go of me!"_

_Yumi hugged the cat closer to her body and left a silence hanging in the air. Kyo felt her warmth and finally asked,_

_"Aren't you scared?"_

_"...You're my big brother... so that's all that matter right?"_

_She let go of the orange cat and smiled at him, comforting his heavy heart._

_"You don't hate me?"_

_**My parents hated me for my curse. They abandoned me... because they were scared and ashamed. I hated myself for that. **_

_"I could never hate my big brother."_

_-------------------------------------------_

_The next morning swept by slowly and whispers swirled around inside the orphanage as Kyo walked into the main room where the kids were huddled together in one corner, stealing glances at Kyo who was standing alone. The sun was still peeking out from the clouds, it was early morning and Yumi was still asleep in her room. Kyo walked slowly over to the shushed huddle,_

_  
"Hey..."_

_The kids glanced at one another, and one finally piped up,_

_  
"Get away! We might catch what you have!"_

_The rest of the group backed away from Kyo as he sadly watched them, feeling the tears threatening to come out, but he held them back, he had to be a man._

_"Get away! Don't come closer!"_

_Tears stung. _

_The shouts of fear and hate erupted from the children and Kyo turned away, running out of the orphanage, almost running right into the matron. She stopped him by the shoulders,_

_"Kyo! What's the matter?"_

_Kyo pushed her away forcefully yelling out,_

_"Don't act like you don't know!"_

_Tears of frustration and anger were on the brink of falling, but he blinked them away and ran away. _

_**I'm sorry Yumi...but everyone knows my secret now. I can't stay. **_

---------------------------------------------------------

_It was hitting nighttime almost, the sky was darkening and Kyo's legs were tired as he shuffled along the streets by himself, feeling cold and alone. A lump formed in his throat when he remembered Yumi's face._

_**"Yumi! You're not supposed to tell me what you wished for! Now it'll never come true!"**_

_**  
"Oh no! Now you won't be my big brother...?"**_

_**"Idiot. Of course I'm still your big brother. Don't be stupid Yumi-chan."**_

_Kyo thought to himself morosely, _

_**She was always the one that was there for me...**_

_**We don't share the same blood... but she was the only family that I ever had. Loved. What am I thinking? Letting a bunch of loser kids rule my life and take away the only person that ever really cared about me and looked up to me? I'm such an idiot...**_

_Kyo shook his head and looked down the clear street, ready to head back. He had to face his fears head on. _

_---------------------------------------------------------_

_The orphanage was bright orange when a horrified Kyo reached there. He could smell the smoke from a mile away as he raced to where the firemen, the puffy smoke, and the loud sirens resided. He stormed up to a fireman with eyes swirled with a mixture of rage, confusion, and alarm, shouting out in a hysterical tone,_

_"What the hell happened! What's going on!"  
_

_The fireman turned to see the twelve year old boy with eyes consumed with fire and placed heavy hands on the boy's shoulder's, stating as firmly and calmly as possible,_

_"I-I'm sorry... we're doi--"_

_Kyo cut off the man's sentence, screaming and yelling out with a high pitched voice,_

_"Is everyone okay? Is... is... Where's Yumi? Where's Yumi!"_

_His pride had broken already as the tears streamed endlessly down his burning face. The man's grip on his shoulders tightened as he tried to soothe his fears,_

_"Please... please calm down. We saved as many people as we could..."_

_He gave a pointed look to the ashy children that were standing by the burning orphanage, crying their eyes out. Kyo's fists tightened along with his chest as he hoped with all his heart that Yumi was part of that small group of children that were sobbing. He trembled as he walked over to them, each child looking up as he advanced closer to them. Kyo searched the group, but she was nowhere to be found. He looked again, but she wasn't there..._

_Kyo scowled at the rest of them and they shook with fear as he grabbed one kid by the collar,_

_"Where the **hell** is Yumi! Tell me now you worthless piece of shit!"_

_His breathing was heavy and his blood was pumping as he shook the poor kid who cried out,_

_"I-I don't know! I really don't know!"_

_Kyo's lips were quivering as he shoved the kid to the ground and fell to his knees, tears soaking the dirt that he clutched with his fingernails. He pounded on the crumbling dirt with his fists and yelled out over and over,_

_"No! No! This isn't happening!" _

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_"Kid, move out of the way."_

_Kyo was standing like a stone in the middle of the sidewalk and the moon was glowing darkly as he glared at the group of guys that loomed over him with smirks and leather jackets. Kyo stood there, not moving, and pushed past them, until one of them grabbed him by the collar,_

_"Who do you think you are, punk? You think you're the king of the world or something? You know we could kill you in two seconds."_

_The older man with the sagging cheeks and brushed back hair held up Kyo by the collar of his shirt, but Kyo didn't struggle, nor did he grimace, he only kept a listless expression on his face, completely motionless as he said with a low and firm voice,_

_"Kill me then. Just kill me."_

_The man's eyes widened slightly as he took out a knife, holding it close to Kyo's neck, but he didn't even flinch, he only closed his eyes, waiting for the angel of death to take him into its bloody hands. The cold blade touched his neck, and the pressure increased, but then stopped. Kyo's eyes opened up and he was lowered back to the ground, the man putting the knife back into his pocket,_

_"You got guts kid. What do you think about coming along with us?"_

_Kyo looked around and saw all of the nodding faces as Kyo brushed himself off,_

_"I want to be alone."_

_"You seem pretty lonely out here kid. Why not just come with us? Where else have you got to go, kid?"_

_Kyo looked around at their faces again, and saw the loneliness that swam in their eyes, and felt no fear as he scanned their faces again. What did he have to fear? He wasn't afraid of death, and he had no place else to go, so he feebly nodded his head and followed the members, ready to take on the world. _

--------------------------------------------

"I lead a bad life after that... but I didn't feel alone anymore, but... that doesn't make up for the wrongs I've committed."

"Kyo..."

A tear fell from the corner of her eye as she placed her hand over his, a rosy glow cast upon their faces as she stared up at him,

"It doesn't matter what you did in your past anymore, because God has forgiven you. You're a changed man... and... that's the only thing that matters right now. You've been through so much too...! You shouldn't blame yourself."

Kyo's chest tightened,

"And you're not even a little bit scared about my... my... curse?"

Tohru shook her head,

"Why should it matter? It doesn't change who you are."

A smile brightened her face as she murmured out,

"And... I'm so glad that you've let me in."

_It's final._

_The mask has been broken and she can see my clearly now... _

_The best part is..._

_she **accepts **me even after seeing all my flaws. _

_I don't think I've ever felt this happy in a long time..._

"Kyo?"

"Hnh?"

He looked over to his side and saw her removing the chain from her neck, dangling the cross in front of her as she smiled soflty into the night, taking his hand and dropping the necklace into the palm of his hand,

"Take it."

Kyo frowned and looked down at it, and then back at her, clearly puzzled,

"What?"

"It's my cross that my mom gave me, and I want you to have it."

Kyo was at a loss of words as he stared down at the silver emblem of hope that gleamed in the middle of his hand, glimmering wonderously in the pouring moonlight. He then closed his hand tightly, and looked at her with burning red eyes as he firmly promised to her,

"I promise I'll treasure it!"

She grinned at him,

"I hope it helps you."

Kyo slowly grinned back at her and nodded slowly as he got up from the grass, helping her up as well,

"It's getting late."

Tohru nodded and she combed out her hair with her fingers,

"Yeah, we should get some sleep."

They walked to the front doors together and Tohru touched the knob of the door, pushing it open, then turning back, whispering out into the soft night air,

"Good night."

"Wait."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him; she could feel the heat of his stomach touching hers, as her heart skipped effortlessly in her tremoring chest. Their eyes locked with each others as he searched them deeply, whispering out hoarsely,

"You won't tell anyone about this will you?"

Her eyes glittered as they widened,

"Eh! Of course not! I promise!"

She placed her hand over her heart, staring frankly into his eyes for a long moment before he pulled away from her, letting a cold air rush in between them, smirking,

"You don't have to promise it so enthusiastically."

"Sorry! But I do promise!"

Kyo smiled and lifted his hand up in a wave,

"I trust you."

_After that day, I wore that cross around my neck as if had become a part of me._

_There was also this bond that I could feel forming between me and God, a bond that I had never known or felt before... and I have to say..._

_It felt..._

_Good. _

**PLEASE REVIEW. :P THANKS. **


	8. World On Fire

**THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS ! PLEASE ENJOY THE NEXT CHAPTER :P **

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter E I G H T **

_**World on Fire**_

_"Can you...can you stay with me tonight?"_

_  
"I don't want to be all alone..."_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a peaceful night as the moon loomed tranquilly over the dark night sky while Tohru and her grandfather were sharing a quiet meal of rice and beef stew at the square brown table. Grey clouds shifted slowly towards the moon, enveloping the light and darkening the sky as Tohru chewed softly on a piece of tender meat, smilling across the table at her grandpa who smiled gently back at her.

Suddenly his smile faltered and his bowl clattered onto the floor, shattering it into pieces as he clutched his left arm, his mouth hanging wide open in pain as he gasped out,

"T-Tohru...! Get help...!"

"Grandpa!"

Sirens echoed through the streets as the police and the paramedics rushed her grandpa into the nearest hospital, while Tohru clutched his hand tightly, watching her unconscious grandfather lay on the stretcher with wide eyes.

_Please be alright..._

_God... please help him!_

-------------------------------------------

It was 11pm and Kyo was snoring peacefully in his bed, exhausted from work, until the repetitive rings of the phone next to him burst into the silence, waking up a grouchy Kyo. He grumbled curses under his breath as he grabbed the phone off the cradle angrily in the middle of the fourth ring, shouting out in a foul tone,

"What!"

"Kyo?"

Tohru's panicked voice entered the other line, causing Kyo to shoot up from his bed,

"Tohru?"

Her tear filled voice was enough to wake him up completely as he pressed the phone against his ear, nearly yelling out,

"What's wrong!"

"I-I'm sorry... to call you so late at night... it's just that... it's just that..."

"What the hells the matter? Where are you?"

A silence filled the line as she finally whispered out,

"The hospital..."

"THE HOSPITAL!"

"It's not me. It's... it's my grandpa...he had a heart attack."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Damn... let him be okay! _

Kyo rushed through the dimly lit halls of the hospital and stopped when he saw Tohru sitting in the waiting room with Uo and Hana, he slowly walked towards them and froze when he saw that her face was covered in tears.

"...Is...everything alright?"

Tohru looked up and her eyes lit up a little as she let out a small smile while clasping her hands together,

"I hope so."

Hana pat her friend on the back,

"Everything will be okay Tohru-chan. Your grandpa is a fighter."

Uo nodded and squeezed Tohru's hand gently,

"Yeah, he's going to get through this, okay?"

"Thanks guys."

Kyo opened his mouth, wanting to give her words of comfort as well, but the opening of the door averted everyone's attention. A doctor stepped out and Tohru jumped out of her chair, rushing over to him,

"Is he going to be okay?"

The doctor patted her shoulder with reassurance,

"He's going to be alright. He just needs to stay here for the night to recuperate though, but don't worry, it was only a minor heart attack, and it's a good thing that you called us right away. You did a good job, young lady."

Tohru exhaled with relief and bowed her head down,

"I'm so glad he's alright. I don't know how to thank you."

The doctor chuckled,

"You don't have to thank me. It's my job. You may go visit him if you'd like."

Her eyes brightened up as she glanced at her three companions quickly,

"Really! Thank you so much!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Grandpa?"

The whole room was empty when Tohru nervously entered her grandfather's room.

She saw him laying on the white bed with a peaceful look on his face and watched him breathe for a moment, feeling her heart warm. She reached out and touched his limp hand and sat down onto the seat next to his bed, crying softly beside his sleeping body as she choked out,

"I'm so glad that you're okay."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was around one in the morning and Kyo was walking Tohru home from the hospital after Uo and Hana had left. It was a silent walk, and Kyo had been torturing himself by trying to find ways to make her feel better, but no words had come out. He sighed to himself when they stopped in front of the church building and Tohru leaned against the door for a moment. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, uttering out softly,

"Thanks for coming."

"It was nothing. I didn't do anything anyway."

Tohru leaned forward, and insisted sincerely,

"Yes you did! I was so happy when you came."

Kyo blushed and looked away, changing the subject quickly,

"Well it's a good thing that your grandpa is alright."

"Yes."

He thought that she'd be happier, but instead, he only saw sadness lurking in her face,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It's something."

She sighed and curled her hair behind her ears absent-mindedly as she admitted tentatively,

"I'm just scared that it might happen again...I mean...if I lost my grandpa I don't know what I would do. I know it sounds silly...but he's the only family I have left."

He gulped and stood there like stone, feeling the familiar lump forming in his throat as he drew a blank in his mind once again, not knowing how to help her; after all, he had never been the one to comfort others before. Kyo swallowed hard and replied lamely,

"It's not gonna happen again...the doctors said he'd be alright, so don't worry."

She dabbed at her eyes with her fingertips and laughed softly,

"You're right. I shouldn't be worrying."

Kyo shuffled his shoes and cleared his throat,

"So...you should um... get some sleep. You're probably really tired."

She looked at the door behind her for a long time, an unsettling feeling of fear forming in the pits of her stomach as she turned back to him with a question in her eyes,

"Can you...can you stay with me tonight?"

Tears filled her eyes as she bowed her head down in shame,

"I don't want to be all alone..."

She covered her eyes with her face, not wanting him to see her tears as she whispered out shakily,

"I'm so sorry..."

Kyo clenched his teeth together as he slowly lifted his hand up robotically and placed it on her warm shoulder, his heart tremoring in his chest as he croaked out,

"I'm gonna stay... so stop your crying."

Her hands fell from her face as she stared up at him with gleaming eyes, asking with hope in her small voice,

"Really?"

"Really."

_When I saw a real smile form on her lips for the first time that day... I couldn't help but feel a burst of happiness set itself off in my heart because **I** had somehow made her smile. _

_I guess actions say more than what words can. _

**PLEASE REVIEWWW:D :D :D :D THANKS**


	9. Song For a Winter's Night

**FINALLY, another chapter is out! ENJOYYYY. and thanks to all the past reviewers, it made me really happy ... thank you :)**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chapter N I N E**

_**Song for a Winter's Night**_

"A Christmas party?"

Tohru shook her head up and down, clearly enthused by the whole idea. Kyo raised an eyebrow at her skeptically as she continued on,

"Tonight at the church! It's going to be wonderful!"

Kyo sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he muttered out,

"Fine, I'll go... even though it sounds stupid to me."

Tohru clapped and exclaimed,

"Yay! Thank you! So I'll see you tonight."

She lifted her hand up cheerfully and then ran down the road, leaving Kyo standing alone at the end of the sidewalk.

_Great.. now I gotta get her a present? Jeez... _

* * *

Tohru hummed to herself that night as she and her grandpa were setting things up and people began to flood in, chatting excitedly to each other. Tohru glanced up to see if a certain someone had arrived, but he was nowhere to be seen yet.

Her heart sunk further with each hour that passed and each person that entered that wasn't him. He had never shown up, but deep down in her heart she still kept on hoping that he'd come, because she was the kind of girl that never lost hope.

She looked around at the fading crowd and walked over to her grandpa who was standing by the podium, looking tired, She bit her lip and asked with concern,

"Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

He waved his hand nonchalantly at her and chuckled,

"Oh don't worry about me Tohru... I'm fine."

He gave her a warm smile, but she saw the sadness swirling in his small eyes and that's when she knew that inside he was trying so hard to be strong and hold on, but he was losing his grip, and that's what broke her heart the most. She took his hand and said softly,

"You should get some rest grandpa, I'll take care of the rest."

He shook his head and laughed,

"Alright, alright. You're too good to me, you know that?"

She smiled and replied,

"No, you're the one that has supported me through all these years. Merry Christmas grandpa..."

She then handed him a small box shaped present wrapped in bunny paper.

"Oh? A present?"

His eyes twinkled as his wrinkled fingers tore it open slowly, revealing a framed photo of him and her together, smiling happily, and the words I Love you engraved subtly on the bottom of the golden frame. Tears filled his small gray eyes and drops fell on top of the glass as Tohru's face crumpled while wrapping her arms around her frail grandfather, crying out with tears in her eyes,

"I love you so much grandpa..."

Her grandfather just wept in her arms, holding her present tightly in his hands as they both sobbed together on that Christmas night.

* * *

Kyo's heart was beating soundly in his chest as he stood outside the church admonishing himself,

_Dammit... I'm such an idiot..._

He took a deep breath and pushed open the double doors, peeking into the dimly lit church; at first he thought it was empty, but then he spotted Tohru sitting alone on a bench, her head bowed down.

_Is she crying? Is she alright?_

He hurried down the aisle, his mind running with guilt when he reached her side and saw that her eyes were closed and her hands were clasped together in prayer. Her eyes flew open when she heard footsteps and he jumped back a little when she looked at him with tear filled eyes,

"Oh! Kyo! I knew you'd come..."

A small smile crept onto her lips as she continued to stare up at him.

_She's not mad?_

Kyo looked down at his shoes, shamefully,

"I'm sorry... I didn't make it to the party...I just... I just get scared of the whole party scene I guess. But that's no excuse, so you can hit me or whatever."

Tohru cracked another smile and reassured him,

"Hit you? I would never. Please don't feel bad.. the fact that you showed up now... is what matters most."

Her eyes then traveled down to what he was holding and she asked,

"Flowers? Who are they for?"

Kyo's cheeks blazed as he held the pink tulips out to her, muttering out,

"Who do you think?"

Her eyes widened as she stared down at the beautiful bouquet that was held out in front of her nose, she gingerly took it in her hands as she whispered out,

"Thank you... you really didn't have to."

"It's a Christmas... thing. Whatever, no big deal."

Tohru stood up and smelled the flowers, a look of delight passing her features as she insisted,

"But it _is_ a big deal. Thank you."

She placed the flowers down and then went over to a shopping bag next to her, taking out a present with wrapping paper covered with tiny cartoon cats.

"Merry Christmas!"

Tohru grinned and handed it to him jovially. He slowly took it in his hands and unwrapped it carefully, anticipation filling his emotions.

It was a clay figure of a weirdly shaped orange cat.

Her cheeks reddened as she rambled,

"I-I'm sorry that the paint is terrible...and it looks um... a little crooked, but I tried my hardest to make it though...!"

Kyo examined it for a moment and then he burst into laughter as he stifled out,

"It..it looks terrible!"

Her eyes shot with fear as she apologized shamefully,

"I'm so sorry!"

His shoulders shook with laughter for a while, and when it finally died down, he beamed at her, patting her head lightly,

"Don't be sorry... I'm gonna treasure it no matter how crappy it looks..."

He smiled at her and she felt her heart jump as she murmured out,

"I'm glad."

He scratched his head awkwardly and then asked,

"So.. uhh... were you um... praying before?"

"Huh? Oh yes..."

"So you just close your eyes and make a wish or something?"

She giggled and pulled him next to her on the bench, putting her hands together,

"Here, let's pray together. After all, two prayers must be better than one, right?"

Kyo hesitated and then finally placed his hands together, glancing at her sheepishly as she gave him a warm smile.

"Now just close your eyes..."

And he did.

**Yeeesh, sorry it took so long to update... but I've suddenly had a flash of inspiration! Go me! xP Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. and PLEASE REVIEW! That'd be wonderful. Thank :D**


	10. Gloomy Sunday

**Thanks for the reviews :D Makes me cry with happiness :) THANK YOUUU!**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chaper T E N **

_**Gloomy Sunday**_

It was a rainy Saturday. Gray skies and howling winds, as the rain fell down hard and fast onto the slippery ground.

"Grandpa, are you in there?"

She knocked lightly on his door, a cup of tea in her hand as she knocked again.

No sound came from the other side, so she assumed he was asleep and turned the knob open, cautiouly peeping in to see him lying on his bed, eyes closed.

_He looks so peaceful... I'll just leave the tea beside him so when he wakes up he'll see it._

She walked in, being as quiet as she possibly could, placing the tea down gently onto the table next to his bed. She smiled as she watched him sleep, but then her smile slowly slipped away when she didn't see his chest rising up and down... he wasn't breathing.

_Oh my God..._

"Grandpa...?"

She shook him lightly, hoping that this was just some bad dream that she'd wake up from very soon.

"Grandpa?"

The silence shook her as reality hit her in the face.

God couldn't save him now.

-----------------------------------------------------------

She sat numbly in the garden of the church, still letting everything that had just happened seep into her gradually. She had just called the ambulance a few hours ago and the doctor's words were still replaying in her head like a broken record.

_I'm sorry... but he can't be saved..._

_But your grandfather died peacefully... so everything will be okay. _

She buried her head into her knees and listened closely to her shallow breaths, still unable to accept the fact that he was dead, that he was gone from her life.

_No... he can't be..._

"Tohru?"

She looked up in alarm when she heard a voice interrupt the painful silence. She stared into his intense crimson eyes, trying to form a coherent sentence, but nothing came out of her mouth as she continued to just stare up at him. He kneeled down and asked with a wrinkled forehead,

"Are you alright?"

It was as if those three words were a trigger to unstoppable tears, because the wouldn't stop flowing as she covered her face with her hands. Kyo grabbed her trembling shoulders and shook her gently, shouting out with alarm,

"Tohru! Get a hold of yourself! What happened?"

Her shoulders shook violently as she choked out,

"He died this morning... he died..."

_Oh no..._

"Tohru..."

She stood up with shaky knees, unable to see his face clearly through all the tears.

"I'm sorry Kyo... but...I..."

Her sentence broke off as she ran back into the church, locking the double doors, leaning up against it, sobbing.

_I'm sorry... but... I just want to be alone. I'm sorry. _

"Tohru!"

His fists banged againt the door, but she just slipped down to the ground, crying and ignoring his shouts from the other side of the door.

"Let me in! Tohru...! Tohru!"

After minutes of persuasion, Kyo's hands became sore and he cursed under his breath before giving the door one last swift kick before leaning his head againt the cold door, feeling like he'd just been hit with a huge bag of heavy cement.

_What happens now? What should I do?_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

She woke up after having a bad dream and rubbed at her eyes, slowly getting out of her bed. It was now a Sunday morning... sunny skies and birds chirping, but her world was spinning, and it was eerily quiet. She walked slowly around, past the bathroom, past the living room, and finally stopped in front of her grandpa's room, staring at his empty bed.

_Why... is it that no one ever gets the chance to say one last goodbye to the ones that they love before they leave? _

_Is that just the way God intended things?_

She shuffled over to his bed and her tired eyes fell onto the cup of tea that she had put down there the other day. She reached out a hand, and touched the tea, feeling the coldness of the liquid shoot through her body. Her hand shot back and depressing thoughts entered her mind again,

_His funeral's tomorrow... I don't believe it... _

_Why does death have to happen?_

She stared down at the stillness of the tea for a while and then slipped onto her grandfather's bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared blankly out of the bedroom window, wondering what would happen to her next.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours had slowly crept by and she finally pulled herself downstairs, feeling drained, sick and hungry. She pushed her disheveled hair behind her ears, feeling like she had to take twenty showers in order to feel okay again.

She blew out a long breath, her forehead creasing when she suddenly spotted a white slip of paper near the double doors. Tohru stepped closer to it to make sure it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. She then bent down and picked up the badly folded paper, opening it up slowly to see what was inside.

...**Uh oh ! Seems as though I've left a cliffhanger. DUN DUN DUN! xP heh. Until next time :) REVIEWS PLEASE. Thanks :)**


	11. I Love You

**Has anyone noticed that the titles of my chapters are only Sarah Mclachlan songs:P I love making titles for chapters, I'm not sure why, but it's fun :D Anyway, now that you know that useless little fact, you can go on and read the new chapter. YAY! Enjoy. And thanks for the reviews... they are truly the best. **

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chaper E L E V E N **

_**I Love You**_

_Dear Tohru._

_I know my writing isn't to good right now but I'm trying. _

_First I'm sorry about before because before when you told me about what happened I didn't know what to say to help you. I don't know how I'm going to comfort you but just know that I am always their for you no matter what. Please talk to me because I want to see your smile again. Because I miss it _

_Kyo_

She stared long and hard at it, rereading it over and over as a small drop of moisture fell from her eye, falling on top of the crinkled sheet of paper. She put the note into her pocket, her heart warming as she took a deep breath, suddenly wanting more than anything to see _him_ again and just cry her heart out. She flung open the door and yelped when she a fall body toppled over right onto the tips of her feet.

Her squeal woke him up, and he shot up from his spot in panic, thinking that he was dreaming again, but after rubbing his eyes and squinting at her face, he saw that she wasn't just an image. He jumped up, smoothing down his hair and wiping off his clothing, as he cleared his throat and called out her name nervously,

"Tohru!"

She gave him a small smile and quietly said to him while looking down at her slippers,

"I read the letter..."

"It was lame wasn't it? I know it was..."

She shook her head and whispered out tearfully,

"Thank you so much... for always being there for you, I feel like such an idiot for worrying you so much..I'm sorry."

Kyo grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her as he said firmly,

"Don't you dare say I'm sorry again! ...You're allowed to let yourself be sad once in a while at times like this. So don't let me worrying about you become a burden because...because I _want_ to worry about you."

He stared into her eyes fiercely and her lips turned up slightly, wanting to embrace him, but she knew that the curse would come into play if she did, so she settled with a small,

"Thank you..."

He brushed her hair out of her face nonchalantly and replied back,

"No problem."

Suddenly her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at him, asking with concern,

"Wait... you didn't sleep out here all night did you?"

Kyo's face turned crimson, as he looked up at the sky in embarrassment, trying to deny his sappy actions now that he had been caught.

"N-No way!"

Tears came forth and she stepped closer to him, leaning her forehead againt his warm chest, crying out,

"I don't know how to thank you anymore. I don't know..."

---------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm so glad to see so many faces out here today... my grandfather would be very proud to see so many of his fans out here."

She let out a small laugh and smiled encouragingly at the wary faces that stared morosely back at her, all dressed in black. She cleared her throat and continued slowly,

"Um... my grandfather was a great man... he... he was my hero, my family, and my friend. He was the one person that was by my side through the good and the bad. He taught me about God and changed me into the person that I am today. I know he's up in heaven right now, watching me from above... and I just want to tell him once more that I love him... one last time..."

Her eyes got teary again as she pressed a smile on her face and looked up at the graying skies, her eyes widening when she spotted a small patch of light blue hiding behind a mask of clouds.

_You're up there with mom and dad now, right?_

_God. Keep them safe for me, okay?_

The thought of a higher being up there taking care of her loved ones comforted her heart as she smiled up at the heavens, her regrets slowly melting away one by one.

--------------------------------------------------

They walked together in unison, a peaceful silence hanging between them as they continued to walk beside one another down the road to the church.

Kyo finally broke the silence when he asked quietly,

"Are you feeling alright?"

Tohru smiled at him sideways and answered softly,

"I'll be okay. So please don't worry about me."

She glanced down and then straight ahead as she murmured out,

"Thank you for walking home with me, you really didn't have to."

"Whatever. I wanted to..."

The leaves bruhed past them on the ground as Kyo glanced quickly at his companion, racking his brain for words of solace, but once again he drew a complete blank and let the balloon of silence continue to fill the air.

Suddenly, as if on impulse he did what his heart told him to, and he took her hand into his, holding onto it tightly.

It was the single most gesture that felt so normal at the moment; so right.

Her eyebrows rose at the warmth of his hand and let the tingles soothe her as she squeezed his hand back gently, never in her life had she ever felt more at peace than now.

And that's how they walked the rest of the way back to the church. Hand in hand without another word being said, both wearing bashful smiles on their faces.

**REVIEWS PLEEEASE :D **

**Don't worry, this story isn't coming to an end yet. :D So stay tuned ladies and gentlemen!**

**Until next time! xP**


	12. Home

I'm so sorry it took me so long to do this… but today I just realized I should just wrap this last story up since my fanfic da

**I'm so sorry it took me so long to do this… but today I just realized I should just wrap this last story up since my fanfic days are officially over from now on. :x Anyway here's the last chapter of Cross. I completely forgot what I had in store for the closing of this story since I had planned it all out years ago… so excuse me if this ending is quite corny and lame. _sweat drops _Sorry! _bows down in apology_**

_The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope..._

**C R O S S**

**Chaper T W E L V E **

_**Home**_

_I wonder… _

_Where do I go from here?_

"You alright?"

"Huh? Eh?! Ah!!" Tohru's cheeks reddened as she squealed, "I'm sorry I was just…thinking!" She then frantically waved her hands in the air, trying to seem calm, but just emphasizing her panic as she rambled on, "You don't have to worry about me! Ah hah hah!" She fell into a nervous bout of laughter, feeling a flood of guilt drowning her as she thought of how much she was making Kyo worry about her. _Again_.

She felt so useless.

It was about a half an hour after the funeral session and the two of them had been sitting on the benches inside the church for some time now, not a word being said. Tohru had been too busy absent mindedly staring at the spot where her grandfather once stood and she hadn't even realized her insensitivity until he had given her that worried glance. She sighed, bowing her head down in disappointment for making Kyo have to go through all of this for her. She didn't feel deserving of his sympathy. She was about to open her mouth and apologize when Kyo interrupted her and said firmly,

"You better now start apologizing constantly and telling me that you don't want me to go through so much trouble for you and all that crap because I'm not leaving your side whether you like it or not. Deal with it." He finished his sentence with a small smirk as he playfully swatted her over her head.

Tohru felt her voice chip away as her shoulders gradually relaxed, leaning back against the wooden benches, gazing ahead again, a deep silence falling between them.

Kyo glanced sideways, his throat tightening as he lifted a tentative arm, reeling his arm back and forth behind her like a fishing rod as he clenched his teeth down before finally placing an awkward arm around her shoulders.

Obviously he was still having an incredibly hard time dealing with sappy affectionate actions.

Tohru's heart jerked from this sudden touch and her body began to tingle all over… just like that time when he had took her hand while walking back to the church together. Tohru felt her heart warm as she leaned in closer to him and tilted her head as she glanced up at Kyo to see that he was looking away with amber eyes that burned with embarrassment. She finally giggled under her breath and then softly replied, "You know me too well…"

Moments later her coffee eyes then filled with worry as she said with dimmed eyes, "Kyo-kun?"

"Hnh?" His hand was unconsciously playing with her hair now, his arm still around her shoulders as his fingers casually twisted the ends of her soft brown hair. She uttered out quietly, "What happens now? …Now that grandpa's gone? What will happen to the church? To my home? I'm…" Her eyes watered but she forced them backwards, softly choking out, "I'm scared…"

His fingers froze as he stiffened, feeling at a loss of words again, unable to give her the exact words of comfort she needed. He thought for a moment, staring at the golden cross hanging at the front of the room before saying, "You can get through anything. …You can get a job and continue to run the church. You can still save the church…You're not the type to just give up and walk away."

She seemed to be mulling his words over in her head as her brown eyes then flickered with hope as she promptly stood up, Kyo's eyes widening as he watched her old self bursting forward. She pumped a fist of determination into the air, her words echoing loudly across the walls, "I can do it! Kyo! Your words have given me faith!"

"Er… really?" Kyo asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling undeserving of the sudden praise.

_Man, she sure does get worked up when she's excited…_

Tohru clasped her hands together, biting her lower lip as she took a deep breath and then whirled around to face Kyo, her face now dancing with life as she said smilingly, "I'll work harder at my part-time job and I will protect this church with all my heart… I promise you grandpa!" She cheerfully closed her eyes and let out a little joyous sigh as she opened them again, looking at Kyo happily as she murmured, "Thank you…again."

Kyo stood up as well, brushing his hands off as he grabbed her by the wrist. "C'mon, we'll work together. We'll protect it together… you don't have to be scared of the future anymore…"

_It's been almost a year and Kyo and I have protected this church with all our hearts… and I think that grandpa would be very proud with what we've done. Many of the old faces and even new faces have come to support us… your church is safe grandpa… and you don't have to worry anymore… _

Tohru was beaming down at the crowd from the podium where her grandpa used to stand, clearing her throat lightly under the microphone as she said with an uncontrollable smile as the people looked expectantly up at her.

"Today we have a guest speaker… and I'd like you all to treat him kindly." She bowed slightly before continuing, "He is a very good friend of mine… so please welcome Sohma Kyo!" The crowd began to clap as Kyo looked around from side to side, his face reddening, sweat building at his brow as he stared at Tohru's shining face. She motioned for him to come up as she happily called out, "C'mon Kyo-kun!"

Kyo got up reluctantly as he thought wearily to himself,

_Yeah… speeches are not my thing… but before when things were still pretty rough a few months back I made a silly promise to Tohru that I would make a speech in front of everyone when the church came to life again. I thought she'd forget all about it (Well I was hoping she'd forget about it…) but unfortunately she has constantly been telling me how ecstatic she is to hear my speech for the past few days… and well that damn smile of hers could make me wear a woman's dress and sing love songs. (Okay… maybe not the dress part…)_

Kyo wiped his sweaty palms against his khaki jeans and grumbled quietly under his breath, clutching the white scrap of paper in his hand which contained the speech he had been working on the other night. He could feel the eyes of everyone boring into his skin, but the only one that mattered were _her_ eyes.

He got up to the podium and cleared his throat three times, staring out at the sea of faces that were waiting patiently for his words of wisdom and hope. He looked down at his paper and then glanced sideways to see Tohru's beaming face, then back at the anxious crowd, taking in another breath as he muttered into the microphone, "Um… well… how should I start? …" He paused for a long moment and then continued, gradually finding his voice, his volume slowly rising, "I…I never believed in God before." He licked his chapped lips. "To be completely honest… I used to think that God and church was all a big joke and that there was no point in believing in Him because of all the disaster and horrors that happen in his world on a daily basis. There's war, famine, murder, death, hate… so many things that could make people cringe and cry."

Kyo looked down at the paper and then at the crowd again, feeling his words grow with strength as he continued more firmly, "…I went through a phase in my life where I felt like dying. I did… and I'm sure everyone in this room has felt a strong bout of sadness before, haven't you?"

A soft murmur of agreement occurred.

"Yes. I fell down hard and I didn't think I could get back up… I didn't _want_ to get back up. All I did was blame everything on God and how unfair He was, not wanting to see my own mistakes or face the world. I lost my purpose of living and wandered down the streets like a fool, doing foolish deeds… and unforgettable things…"

Kyo shook his head, flashes of his dirty past coming back as he thought of the times he had beaten innocent people for his own satisfaction, when he used to steal things just to laugh at the world. He said distinctly, "I'm not a good person, and I don't think I can ever completely wash away every bad thing I've ever done in my life, but I can always try and start over. And that's what I've done." Kyo smiled from his heart, staring at the faces in front of him. "So…don't give up hope…not yet. Someone taught me that even through all the horrors and the dark stormy nights, there will always be a light, no matter how small it may be, work your way towards it. Never give up on the light because it is always there… don't let your sadness consume you like I did. Don't lie on the ground like a fool after you've fallen. We were created with legs weren't we? So we have to keep walking forward… be strong. I have no idea what God has planned for me… not at all, but it doesn't matter because knowing that hope is out there is enough for me. Knowing that there is a purpose for everyone gives me warmth in my heart… and it took me a while, but I've finally found my purpose in life."

He turned to his side and faced Tohru with a small smile as he watched her widened brown eyes fill with tears.

Then he said without hesitation,

"It was to meet you."

_The End. _


End file.
